Earl Thomas was the victim of an identity fraud scheme that was orchestrated by a man who is in a relationship with the former NFL star’s wife, according to police.
A spokesperson from the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office told Michelle Hunter of Nola.com that 38-year-old New Orleans man Kevin J. Thompson was arrested in June over an alleged $1.9 million identity fraud scheme that targeted Thomas. Thompson is the boyfriend of Thomas’ ex-wife, Nina Thomas.
The charges against Thompson include identity theft, forgery, money laundering, credit card fraud, computer fraud and bank fraud. According to police, Thompson used a counterfeit driver’s license with his photo and Thomas’ information to create a phony bank at Jefferson Federal Credit Union last year. Thompson is accused of wiring at least $700,000 of Thomas’ money into the new account.
Thompson is also accused of depositing Thomas’ checks into the bank account and stealing money from the former safety’s retirement account.
Authorities say Thompson also transferred ownership of several vehicles owned by Thomas so Thompson could sell them for cash. One of the vehicles was a Rolls-Royce SUV that Thompson was driving at the time he was arrested at a bank in June.
Police say Thomas was alerted to the illegal activity when his credit union in Texas flagged it as suspicious and informed Jefferson Federal. It was determined that Thomas was not the one who opened the account, and Thompson was arrested the following day at a Jefferson branch.
After Thompson was released, he went to the Sheriff’s Office to try and retrieve the vehicle. He allegedly arrived in a 2022 Chevy Corvette that had been reported stolen out of Atlanta. Thompson was once again arrested and charged with possession of stolen property and altering a vehicle identification number.
Thomas and Nina divorced in 2020 following a series of disturbing incidents between the two.
Thomas, 34, was a big part of the “Legion of Boom” defense for the Seattle Seahawks. He won a Super Bowl and made seven Pro Bowls with Seattle. He last played in the NFL in 2019 with the Baltimore Ravens, who cut Thomas in 2020 for fighting with teammates.
