FBI agents arrested Daejon Labrayae Love and Taylor Jamie Chan at the Boise Airport on Aug. 24 in an alleged $1.3 million romance and investment scam that investigators say pulled in women across several states. Both men were taken into federal custody in Boise after arrest warrants were issued on Aug. 17.
The arrest is the newest turn in a case federal investigators say began in February 2022 and involved at least 26 identified victims. Prosecutors say Love met many of the women through dating apps, led them to believe they were in a real relationship with him and then pushed them toward investments that did not exist. In some conversations, investigators say, he even claimed to be an NFL player for the San Francisco 49ers.
That detail mattered because it fit the role Love allegedly built for himself: a wealthy man with access, money and a future to offer. Investigators say he used fictitious identities, flaunted a lavish lifestyle online and in person, and at times claimed to be a successful real estate investor worth tens of millions of dollars. Chan allegedly stepped in as a financial adviser, joined three-way FaceTime calls and showed fabricated investment gains to make the pitch look real.
Financial records cited by investigators show the pair received about $1.3 million from victims. Some women sent their own savings. Others allegedly took out personal loans at Love’s direction after he promised the money would be repaid quickly. When the women ran out of cash or started pressing for answers, investigators say Love cut off contact while keeping the funds.
There is also a sign the case may not stop with the 26 people already identified. Investigators believe more victims could still come forward, and federal agents say Love was in Idaho looking for new ones when he was arrested. They also say he moved through New Mexico, California, Oregon, Nevada, Utah and Idaho between July 15 and Aug. 24, suggesting a wide travel pattern that may have widened the circle of women exposed to the alleged scheme.
Love has allegedly used several names, including Jon Love, Daejon Love, Avril Lyto Love and Jordan Love. The case is being investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Oregon, and both men remain in federal custody in Boise. The FBI is asking anyone who may have dealt with Love or Chan, or who knows more about the alleged scam, to contact investigators at 1-800-CALL-FBI.
