Former Super Bowl champion Wendell Smallwood faces up to 50 years in prison for three felonies, all related 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 stem from Smallwood defrauding the government during the coronavirus pandemic. according to TMZ.
Court documents reportedly show tax fraud and that Smallwood submitted false claims to aid programs for several companies he owned.
Those claims returned him cash 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 fraud-related felonies
The charges were handed down last month and stem from activity during the pandemic.
Smallwood’s lawyer has publicly commented on the situation by New Delaware Journal.
“Wendell has cooperated fully with this investigation,” he said. “(They’ll have) more to say when we show up in December.”
Smallwood was with the Eagles for two seasons, including the roster for the team’s Super Bowl victory over the Patriots in 2018.
After leaving Philadelphia, Smallwood spent time with Washington and Pittsburgh.
After spending time with Jacksonville, Smallwood returned to Washington for his final time on an NFL roster.