Benjamin Leon Coleman, a former offensive lineman for the Chargers, tendered guilty pleas today on 10 counts of submitting false loan applications, one count of using a false social security number, one count of aggravated identity theft and two counts of tax evasion, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Coleman pleaded guilty to securing a number of loans and credit cards using either company names that were false or using the name of a former Chargers teammate, according to the government.
By telling banks that he ran a successful company with turnovers of more than $2 million and had several employees, Coleman managed to secure loans of tens of thousands of dollars, according to a press release issued by the U.S. Attorney’s Office. In all, he caused losses of more than $290,000 to the banks.
The case was investigated by special agents of the U.S. Secret Service, the IRS and detectives of the SDPD.
Coleman will be sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Dana Sabraw on Feb. 29. He faces more than 40 years in prison.