Daejon Labrayae Love, who prosecutors say posed as a San Francisco 49ers wide receiver and went by several aliases including “Prince Love,” made his first appearance in federal court in Portland on Tuesday afternoon on a one-count indictment charging him with conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
Love, wearing a federal prison-issued peach T-shirt and tan pants, appeared in court beside his federal public defender. Unlike most of his social media posts, he appeared with a full beard and was stripped of any jewelry.
Assistant Federal Public Defender Ellie Riegel entered a not guilty plea on Love’s behalf to the charge before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jolie A. Russo.
A grand jury last week indicted Love, 35, alleging he defrauded women he met on dating apps by cultivating romantic relationships and persuading them to hand over large sums of money for supposedly high-yield investment accounts, which he falsely claimed had helped him amass a fortune.
Rather than investing the funds, Love allegedly pocketed the money to cover personal expenses, including travel, lodging across multiple cities, dining, NFL gear and clothing, luxury car leases, flashy jewelry, online dating platforms, purchases to gain more social followers, adult entertainment and child support, according to the indictment.
Love did not seek release Tuesday, and Russo ordered him to remain in custody pending trial.
A 10-day trial is set for Dec. 15 before U.S. District Judge Karin J. Immergut.
FBI Special Agent Doug A. Olson announced last month that investigators had identified more than 60 potential victims.
The first alleged victim to report Love to the FBI in September 2024 was a 22-year-old woman from Vancouver, who met Love on the dating app Bumble. Prosecutors initially said Love pocketed more than $1.3 million from 26 women, but they anticipate the total amount of the alleged fraud to be much greater based on additional victims who have come forward.
He was arrested Aug. 24 at the Boise Airport when his alleged accomplice, 18-year-old Taylor James Chan, flew in from California. Chan is accused of posing as Love’s financial adviser, presenting women with fake bank and investment statements though he had no financial expertise. Chan denied the allegations when he appeared in court in Portland on Sept. 3 and remains free pending trial.
Love is currently being held at the federal prison in Sheridan.
©2026 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit oregonlive.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
