Mohamed Coulibaly, 24, who was accused of organizing a million-dollar scam targeting sports stars, has been found dead in a New Jersey swimming pool. Police launched an investigation after discovering his body at a house in Harrison Township. According to ABC, police officers visited the home after family members expressed concerns about Coulibaly.
Only last month, Barron's named the 24-year-old from Philadelphia as the organizer of an alleged scam that attempted to lure former NFL players and other athletes into buying a stake in bogus websites. Barron's reported that Coulibaly allegedly hoped to dupe athletes into believing they were investing in successful businesses. Three former NFL players claimed to have lost more than $1 million combined.
Among those who allegedly fell victim to the scam was former New York Giants linebacker Tae Crowder. He reportedly invested his life savings, worth $500,000, into one of Coulibaly's ventures.
Alleged Investment Scheme
Crowder recalled talking with Coulibaly regularly about potential investments. "We were just, every day, talking about different investments and different things we could possibly get into. I saw him hanging out with a bunch of different guys that I know, which you know made me feel comfortable," Crowder told ABC.
"I would log into the store all the time and just see how it would work and what was going on. I feel like the more I told him about that, as many times I kept logging in, the number started going up," Crowder said. However, he claimed he never saw any return on his investment. "I don't want anybody else to get involved in anything like this, and whoever has got involved, I just want to come together and make it right."
According to Barron's, Coulibaly claimed investors had not received any money because he was still waiting for funds himself. ABC reported that at the time of his death, no criminal charges had been filed related to the alleged scheme.
A GoFundMe page, purportedly created by Mohamed's brother, Badra, has raised nearly $13,000. The family said they are "urgently working to bring him home so he can be laid to rest with dignity and peace." Coulibaly previously told Barron's that he immigrated to the United States as a child with his Malian family.
