Irving Fryar, a former NFL player for the Philadelphia Eagles was indicted with his mother, Allene McGhee, on Wednesday in New Jersey on charges of conspiracy and theft.
A New Jersey grand jury returned indictments for Fryar, 51, and his 72-year-old mother on second-degree conspiracy and theft by deception charges, stemming from December 2009. According to police, Fryar and McGhee were the masterminds behind a “sophisticated mortgage fraud scheme” in which the two applied for, and received, five different home loans on McGhee’s home in Willingboro in under a week. The pair allegedly avoided suspicion at the time by falsifying information on the various applications and documents. They attested that McGhee earned a substantial income of thousands of dollars per month as an event coordinator for the New Jerusalem House of God, the church Fryar founded and where he serves as minister.
Fryar and McGhee reportedly made $690,000 off the scam, $200,000 of which Fryar, himself, received and spent.
Fryar served as a wide receiver for four different teams in the NFL from 1984 to 2000; he played for the New England Patriots, as well as the Philadelphia Eagles, for periods of time.
After retiring from football, Irving Fryar found permanent residence in Springfield, NJ, and founded his church in Mount Holly. He also became the head coach of the football program at Robbinsville High School, although he has been suspended from the coaching position since being charged.
Both Fryar and McGhee remain out of jail and a court date has not yet been set. If convicted, they could each face punishments that include up to 20 years in prison and a fine of $300,000.
Main image courtesy @IrvingFryar via Twitter.