Ex-NFL Player Man Allegedly Defrauds Investors, Buys Plane
Former football player Aaron Wagner has been indicted on charges of money laundering and wire fraud in a case that feds say constituted a multi-million dollar fraud against lenders and investors. Image Credit: Screenshot from Wagner’s YouTube channel.
Wagner had been initially charged on Oct. 23 via a criminal complaint and taken into custody. The two defendants are business partners accused of committing a multimillion-dollar fraud against lenders and private investors across various states.
Football and Social Media Star
Wagner was born and raised in Canada but came to the United States on a full football scholarship to Washington State, according to videos on his YouTube channel, where he posted podcast-style videos on gaining success. Wagner also played college football at Brigham Young University.
Professionally, Wagner played in the National Football League for the New York Jets and in the Canadian Football League for the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the Toronto Argonauts.
On his YouTube channel, Wagner speaks about and displays his luxury items as proof of his business success. He also sits with various other business people and influencers to discuss different aspects of gaining success in various business ventures.
Real Estate and Restaurant Projects
One of those business ventures surrounded investing in real estate property in the restaurant industry with his company, WagsCap Food Services, LLC, according to his criminal complaint. Between Aug. 1, 2021, and Sept. 27, Wagner and Mains allegedly pitched new real estate or restaurant projects to potential investors and asked for funding to launch those projects.
As in his YouTube videos, Wagner allegedly showcased his lavish lifestyle, showing the investors his luxury vehicles and personal jets to prove his success, according to the complaint. Wagner also reportedly inflated the success of his WagsCap business, providing false information about the company’s scope and how well it performed.
Vacations, Luxury Vehicles, Jets and Multimillion-Dollar Houses
Wagner and Mains were allegedly consistent in their fundraising efforts, constantly raising funds from new investors for new projects, according to the criminal complaint. When Wagner got the funds, however, he allegedly spent the money on extravagant vacations, luxury vehicles, jets, and multimillion-dollar houses.
When an earlier project was failing allegedly because Wagner spent the money designated for the project, prosecutors allege that Wagner diverted funds from new projects without notifying the investors of the project’s failings. Prosecutors also say that Wagner skimmed operations funds and inflated business expenses to cover the missing money.
Sordid Business Dealings in Gilbert, Arizona
Wagner managed all of the books and the projects himself, according to prosecutors, even getting caught in a battle for a historical site he bought in Gilbert, Ariz., where he purchased land with a hundred-year-old building, the Clare House, that had been repurposed to be a Bergies coffee shop and wanted to tear it down to build a Bottled Blonde restaurant, according to ABC15 Arizona.
The news sparked controversy in Gilbert for over a year, but after Wagner’s arrest on Nov. 6, Evening Entertainment Group, which owns Bottled Blonde, dropped out of the deal, giving the town historians fighting to preserve the building a win, ABC15 Arizona reported.
Wagner denies all allegations but is accused of defrauding several businesses, including Hello Sugar, Dirty Bird, Everbowl, Crumbl Cookies and Las Botellas, out of around $40 million, according to the DOJ press release. A jury trial date is set for Feb.3, 2025.
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