NFL Star Wendell Smallwood Sentenced to Prison for Fraud
Wendell Smallwood Jr., originally a shining star of the Philadelphia Eagles, is now faced with a grave reality. A court ruling on September 18 disclosed that Smallwood has been sentenced to 18 months in federal prison by Judge Richard G. Andrews for conducting multiple fraudulent schemes amidst the pandemic, amounting to more than $600,000. The shocking transition of Smallwood from an admired NFL player to a criminal convict has left fans in disbelief and has signified a significant change in the former footballer’s life trajectory.
Smallwood, a native of Wilmington, Delaware, began his journey as a football player in his hometown with a dream of making it to the NFL. He was picked 153rd overall by the Eagles in the 2016 draft which marked the beginning of his professional football career. A remarkable milestone of his career came in 2017 when he became a part of the team that went on to secure the Philadelphia Eagles’ first-ever Super Bowl victory.
However, his NFL career wasn’t always smooth sailing. The Eagles released him from the final roster of 53 players in 2019, indicating his underperformance. In hopes of reviving his professional career, he had fleeting tenures with the Washington Redskins in 2019 and the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2020. Unfortunately, these stints did not offer the rebound he hoped for, leaving him at a life crossroads.
Unable to reignite his former football glory, Smallwood found himself veering towards a life fraught with criminal misconduct. Details unfolded by federal prosecutors indicate that between 2020 and 2023, Smallwood was the mastermind behind three separate fraudulent operations targeting the U.S. government.
He executed these fraud schemes through deceptive applications for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL), as well as fictitious IRS tax filings. As a result, Smallwood nefariously garnered or redirected a whopping $645,000 for personal benefits.
The elaborate fraudulent scheme involved a network of accomplices and the establishment of pseudo companies, with kickbacks implemented to carry out the deception. An alarming revelation came in 2023 when a raid at Smallwood’s New Jersey residence unveiled assault-type firearms and high-capacity magazines.
During his court hearing, Smallwood extended his words of regret for his actions. He expressed to Judge Andrews how he felt he had let his community, as well as his family, down. Emphasizing his self-acknowledgement of his wrongdoing, he stated that he had no one but himself to blame.
In Smallwood’s legal defense, his attorney sought probation as a sentence, citing his volunteer work with the Police Athletic League in Wilmington and highlighting the hurdles he faced during his upbringing as potential mitigating factors.
However, the prosecution underscored the calculated and persistent nature of the fraud that Smallwood carried out. Wendell Smallwood, once viewed as a prospective talent in the NFL, is now confronted with an unforgiving reality.
Judge Andrews imposed a sentence of 18 months in prison on Smallwood and instructed him to repay the $645,000 that he had wrongfully acquired. This judgement makes for a striking contrast from his six-season stint in the NFL.
Smallwood is slated to commence his prison sentence this December. He will embark on this unavoidable chapter of his life following the completion of his criminology studies at West Virginia University.