Multiple former NFL players have reported losing over $1 million in an alleged scheme involving fabricated sales on Shopify stores, according to a report. The alleged operation was run by a 24-year-old Philadelphia entrepreneur who persuaded athletes to invest in e-commerce sites that appeared to show thriving sales but lacked genuine customer traffic.
Mohamed Coulibaly, the entrepreneur, reportedly offered clients ownership stakes in ready-made Shopify stores, requiring investments of at least $50,000. Investors were guaranteed the return of their principal after six months, plus 80% of any profits. However, evidence suggests many orders were manually entered into the stores' dashboards to create a false impression of success.
One purportedly successful site, Dailyprodtrend, logged over 360 orders between March 2025 and February 2026, yet received only 90 visitors during that same period. Transactions were allegedly marked as paid minutes after being manually entered. A customer listed for a large order of humidifiers and cup warmers denied making the purchase.
Among the individuals listed as clients in a pitch deck reviewed by Barron's were former Philadelphia Eagles stars Nakobe Dean and Jalen Carter, rapper YG, and U.S. men's national soccer team defender Mark McKenzie. It remains unclear if these individuals were aware of their inclusion in the pitch deck. Representatives for Dean, Carter, McKenzie, and YG did not respond to requests for comment.
Three unnamed former NFL players told Barron's they collectively lost more than $1 million. One of these players, who previously owned a Shopify site called LuxeLane, expressed fear about recovering their investments. The apparent success of these stores was allegedly used by Coulibaly to pitch investors on a purported $215 million sale of his company, Motion Ventures, to Middle East Venture Partners in Dubai.
In one instance, Coulibaly allegedly presented a contract for the Dubai deal to an investor, naming a JPMorgan Chase wealth adviser as an escrow agent. Chase denied the agreement originated from the bank and stated the signature did not match the adviser's. Coulibaly told Barron's that delayed payouts were due to not receiving funds from the Dubai firm, which did not respond to inquiries.
As investors grew suspicious due to unfulfilled payout promises, the owner of Dailyprodtrend and an associate reportedly invested $925,000 to establish 18 additional stores. They later sought assistance from Barry Minkow, a fraud investigator, who submitted reports to regulatory agencies including the Securities and Exchange Commission and the FBI. These agencies declined to comment.
Coulibaly's social media often displayed signs of wealth, including private jets and luxury cars, alongside photos with athletes like Dean and Carter, who were part of the Eagles' Super Bowl championship team, and McKenzie, a World Cup participant. This marketing strategy targeted individuals who financial advisors suggest can be vulnerable to questionable investment opportunities.
Coulibaly has disputed the assertions made in the Barron's report, stating to The Post that the article contained inaccuracies and omitted important context. He denied engaging in fraudulent activity or intentionally misleading investors, asserting that documents and communications exist which provide crucial context not reflected in the report. He also stated that the stores were not "filled with fake orders" and that clients had access to their Shopify dashboards for monitoring, while other business aspects were handled by third-party platforms. Coulibaly described the disputed deal as a bulk sale of white-label brands that fell through due to a former athlete's failure to provide funding. He also mentioned that his company sent the investor $25,000 when they faced financial difficulties.
Todd Spodek, a criminal defense attorney, commented that determining guilt in such cases hinges on who entered the fake orders, who circulated forged documents, and whether individuals knowingly made false representations. He stressed that a questionable business model or a failed investment does not automatically equate to intentional fraud.