Irving Fryar Indicted on Conspiracy Charges

He was a Pro Bowl wide receiver who played for four NFL teams, including the Philadelphia Eagles, during his 17-year career, but soon Irving Fryar will be a defendant in a New Jersey courtroom.

Today, acting State Attorney General John Hoffman announced that Fryar, 51-years-old, and his mother have been indicted on charges that they conspired to steal almost $700,000 by having the mother fraudulently obtain five home equity loans on her home in less than a week.

According to the indictment, Fryar conspired with his mother, Allene McGhee, in a scheme in which she got loans totaling more than $690,000 utilizing a single property in Willingboro as collateral for all of the loans.

Fryar and McGhee stand accused of deceiving five banks by applying for, and closing on the loans within a short period and purposefully failing to disclose the existence of any prior loans. Each bank funded its loan in the belief that it held the first lien on the property and the loan would be secured by adequate equity.

“This indictment alleges that they engaged in an elaborate criminal scheme that was designed to defraud these banks of hundreds of thousands of dollars,” said Hoffman. “It is disappointing that someone with an illustrious career in professional sports who now is a minister and coach in the community is charged with this crime, but he must face justice like anyone else.”

Fryar's NFL playing career ended in 2000, and now he serves as the pastor for the New Jerusalem House of God in Mount Holly. He is also the head football coach for the Robbinsville Ravens high school football team.

“We allege that Irving Fryar and Allene McGhee pulled off a sophisticated mortgage fraud scam resulting in six-figure losses to the lending banks,” said Director Elie Honig of the Division of Criminal Justice. “Mortgage fraud is a serious crime that ultimately costs every hardworking homeowner in the form of higher loan rates.”