NFL Super Bowl champion Earl Thomas has been at the center of several scandals, but the most recent is one for the books.
Thomas’ identity was stolen as part of a $1.9 million scam and the person alleged to be behind the scam is his ex-wife’s current boyfriend, Kevin J. Thompson. According to NOLA.com, Thompson was arrested in June for charges to include identify theft, money laundering, credit card fraud, bank fraud, and forgery.
Thomas played in the NFL for 10 years, first for the Seattle Seahawks from 2010 to 2018. He was traded to the Baltimore Ravens before the beginning of the 2019 season, and was released from the team in 2020. With a reported net worth of $26 million, Thomas is a member of the Hall of Fame All-2010s Team, a three-time All-Pro, and a one-time Super Bowl champion.
Yet Thomas’ personal life has been marred by scandal and tragedy. In 2020, his now ex-wife caught him in an act of infidelity at an Airbnb in Texas. And in 2022, his residence in Texas caught fire while federal law enforcement was investigating the financial vaule of Thomas’ home.
Now the retired NFL player is dealing with the aftermath of having his identity stolen.
In June, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office arrested Thompson for allegedly posing as Thomas. Thompson used Thomas’ identity to steal money from Thomas’ bank accounts, deposit several NFL checks, and transfer ownership of several cars. The scheme is estimated to be worth $1.9 million. When he was arrested, Thompson was driving a blue Rolls-Royce Cullinan SUV owned by Thomas.
Thompson is currently in a relationship with Nina Thomas, the NFL player’s ex-wife. Both Thompson and Nina Thomas are from New Orleans.
According to the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, Thompson stole Thomas’ information to create a phony driver’s license in May 2022. Using his photograph, Thompson used the NFL player’s information to establish a bank account at Jefferson Federal Credit Union, and for more than a year transferred money from the accounts to several fake accounts. An estimated $70,000 was wired to the Jefferson Federal Credit Union, according to local law enforcement.
Once the funds were deposited to the credit union, Thompson would withdraw the cash. As recent as May, Thompson reportedly had withdrawn $50,000. Soon after, Thomas’ financial institution contacted Jefferson Federal Credit Union as they flagged the recurrent transfers. As a result, Jefferson Federal Credit Union realized the accounts were fraudulent and contacted local law enforcement.
In addition to transferring Thomas’ NFL checks, Thompson also used the fake identification to transfer ownership of several cars. It’s not clear how Thompson got access to Thomas’ vehicles. He sold the cars and kept the cash. The vehicle ownership transfers are still under investigation.
Wrong And Strong
When Thompson was arrested in June at Jefferson Federal Credit Union, he was driving a blue Rolls Royce SUV that he had transferred out of Thomas’ name. After being released from the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center, he then went to retrieve the luxury car in a 2022 Chevrolet Corvette that was reported stolen in Atlanta, officials said.
Once again, Thompson was arrested. This time, he was charged for stolen property and altering a vehicle identification number. Thompson is currently free on a $730,000 bond.
