Former Super Bowl champion Wendell Smallwood is facing up to 50 years in prison on three felony charges all relating to fraud.
The former Philadelphia Eagle was charged last month with one count of wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to defraud the Internal Revenue Service.
The charges appear to come from Smallwood defrauding the government during the coronavirus pandemic, per TMZ.
Court documents reportedly show tax fraud as well as Smallwood submitting false claims to relief programs from several businesses he owned.
Those claims gave him cash back in 2020 and 2021 during the height of the pandemic.
Smallwood’s case will be heard in court next month.
Former Washington Commander Wendell Smallwood faces three felonies involving fraud
The charges were handed down last month and stem from activity during the pandemic
Smallwood’s lawyer has commented publicly on the situation to the Delaware New Journal.
‘Wendell has cooperated fully with this investigation,’ he said. ‘(They’ll) have more to say when we appear in December.’
Smallwood was on the Eagles for two seasons, including being on the roster for the team’s Super Bowl victory over the Patriots in 2018.
After leaving Philadelphia, Smallwood spent a season each with Washington and Pittsburgh.
After spending time with Jacksonville, Smallwood was back with in Washington for his final time on an NFL roster.