Evergreen Reporter

A former NFL linebacker, John Robert Leake, has been sentenced to 30 months in federal prison for orchestrating a Ponzi scheme that defrauded victims of over $5 million. The sentencing took place in Los Angeles, where United States District Judge John F. Walter also ordered Leake to pay restitution amounting to $5,314,059.

Leake, aged 43 and a resident of Plano, Texas, previously lived in Marina del Rey. He pleaded guilty in September 2024 to charges of wire fraud and transactional money laundering.

Between June 2015 and March 2020, Leake solicited funds from victims by falsely claiming involvement in lucrative business ventures such as luxury real estate investments and gold mines located in Alaska and Ghana. He promised high returns on these purported investments.

The schemes were fabricated by Leake to deceive victims into providing him with money. Despite claims of investing his own funds into these ventures, he rarely did so. Additionally, he guaranteed the return of loans through promissory notes but lacked the assets or income to fulfill these promises.

Leake misused the victims' money for personal expenses like credit card bills, car payments, rent, and gambling. To maintain the facade of legitimacy, he used some funds to make interest and capital payments on promissory notes using minimal personal resources.

In total, Leake fraudulently acquired approximately $8,129,450 from six victims with losses totaling about $5,314,059. The case was investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney James C. Hughes from the Major Frauds Section.