Man pleads guilty to cheating NFL players in charity fraud

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) An Ohio man has admitted defrauding NFL players out of money meant for charities.

Thirty-nine-year-old Camario Richardson, of Maple Heights, Ohio, pleaded guilty Monday to mail fraud in federal court in Kansas City.

Prosecutors say Richardson told the players he could deliver Nike-branded merchandise to charitable events. The five players involved weren’t identified in the indictment.

Richardson pleaded guilty to one charge involving a Kansas City Chiefs player who paid Richardson $6,000 to provide 300 Nike-branded backpacks for a charitable event for the 2016 school year. The backpacks were never delivered. He admitted to similar schemes involving players from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Indianapolis Colts and Cincinnati Bengals. He also didn’t deliver athletic shoes he promised for a San Diego Chargers player’s charity.

Richardson was ordered to pay $24,780 in restitution.