Federal Judge Sentences Lake St. Louis Man For Scheming To Defraud NFL Player

From the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Missouri:

September 17, 2020

ST. LOUIS, MO – United States District Judge Catherine Perry sentenced Abayomi Martin to 15 months in prison and ordered restitution totaling $261,194.71. The 43-year-old Lake St. Louis resident pleaded guilty, in March, to one count of wire fraud relative to a scheme to defraud and obtain money from Baltimore Ravens player Brandon Carr.

Martin owned and operated a company known as NUCO Group Holdings. Martin solicited an investment from Brandon Carr and Carr’s business manager for a purported part ownership in a separate clothing company known as Famous Nobodys. Martin falsely represented to Carr and his business manager he had an ownership interest in Famous Nobodys. , and Carr’s investment in NUCO Group Holdings would provide Carr a 17.5% ownership interest in NUCO, which would own and operate Famous Nobodys.

On September 12, 2016, after Martin presented him with what appeared to be a legitimate operating agreement setting out Carr’s purported ownership interest and NUCO’s interest in Famous Nobodys, Carr wired $250,000 to Martin for the purpose of owning as an equity holder and operating Famous Nobodys. However, the true owner of Famous Nobodys never knew of this purported agreement by Martin, never received any of Carr’s investment money and never agreed to turn over any ownership interest in Famous Nobodys to Martin or NUCO. Instead, Martin used the investment funds provided by Brandon Carr for his own personal use and expenses, including cash withdrawals and personal credit card payments. Martin also used a portion of Brandon Carr’s funds to pay for the expenses and training costs of several professional boxers in Las Vegas, Nevada, all without the knowledge and authority of Carr.

Martin continued the fraud by sending Carr and Carr’s business manager false, fraudulent email communications, and text messages purporting to update them on Carr’s purported investment in Famous Nobodys. Brandon Carr had intended to use any profits from his investment in Famous Nobodys to fund his broad based charitable foundation, Carr Cares. Instead, Carr never received any funds back from Martin, who fraudulently used Carr’s entire investment for personal expenses and uses unrelated to any true investment in NUCO or Famous Nobodys.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Hal Goldsmith is handling the case for the United States Attorney’s Office.

This press release was produced by the US Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Missouri. The views expressed here are the author’s own.