Prosecutors say Georgia inmate targeted athletes in fraud and sex trafficking scheme

A Georgia man accused of targeting professional athletes in a phishing scheme is now facing a sweeping federal indictment that also includes allegations of fraud and sex trafficking.

Federal prosecutors say Kwamaine Jerell Ford, 34, of Buford, appeared in court Friday and pleaded not guilty to multiple charges tied to a scheme that allegedly targeted NBA and NFL players. A U.S. magistrate judge ordered Ford held without bail pending trial.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia, Ford is charged with nine counts of wire fraud, seven counts of computer fraud, one count of access device fraud, four counts of aggravated identity theft and one count of sex trafficking.

Prosecutors say the scheme began as early as November 2020 while Ford was in federal prison, where he allegedly used a phishing scam to obtain login credentials for Apple accounts belonging to professional athletes.

Investigators say Ford used a two-part deception. He allegedly posed online as a well-known adult film star, offering to send explicit videos to athletes. At the same time, he allegedly sent messages pretending to be Apple customer support, asking victims to provide usernames, passwords or multi-factor authentication codes to access the videos.

Authorities say dozens of victims were tricked into providing their account information. Once Ford gained access, prosecutors allege he used the athletes’ credit and debit card details for thousands of dollars in personal spending.

Prosecutors also allege the scheme escalated further in 2021. According to the indictment, Ford used the same fraudulent persona to recruit and coerce a woman into engaging in commercial sex acts with professional athletes, promising to help advance her modeling career.

Investigators say Ford allegedly arranged travel, negotiated payments and took a financial cut, while also forcing the victim to secretly record encounters without the athletes’ knowledge.

“While serving time for stealing credit card numbers from athletes and celebrities to fund his lifestyle, Ford allegedly engaged in the same conduct again,” U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg said in a statement.

FBI officials say the alleged crimes show an escalation from Ford’s past conduct.

“Ford clearly did not learn from his prior conviction for a similar scheme,” said Peter Ellis, acting special agent in charge of the FBI’s Atlanta office. “This time, he allegedly escalated his criminal activity—stealing identities and money while also moving into coercion and sex trafficking.”

Ford was previously convicted in 2019 in the Northern District of Georgia for a similar phishing scheme involving athletes and celebrities, in which prosecutors say he spent nearly $325,000 using stolen financial information.

Federal investigators stress the charges remain allegations, and Ford is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court. The case is being investigated by the FBI.