Former NFL player accused of embezzling $22 million from apartment projects

A former NFL linebacker has been accused of embezzling loan proceeds from two commercial real estate projects in Virginia and North Carolina, allegedly helping himself to Rolex watches and paying off personal debts with the money.

Former NFL player Chris Harrison has been accused of embezzling $14 million from the Model Tobacco Project in Richmond, Virginia.

CA Harrison Cos. founder Chris Harrison is accused of embezzling $14.5 million from the Model Tobacco project in Richmond, Virginia, and $7.7 million from the Whitaker Park project in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, according to a grand jury indictment announced Wednesday by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.

The developer is accused of wire and mail fraud, engaging in monetary transactions with criminally obtained property and aggravated identity theft. Harrison could face decades in prison if found guilty on all charges.

Under the loan terms, Harrison did not intend to pay itself or affiliated entities “any construction, management, development or contractor costs” from the proceeds.

But Harrison allegedly skimmed loan proceeds by creating a straw demolition company, Virginia Demolition LLC, and forging and falsifying documentation to show the company was working on both projects.

The embezzled money was used to purchase luxury goods, including more than $60,000 worth of Rolex watches, and to pay off personal debts and legal fees related to the Petersburg Ramada Inn in Virginia, where the indictment alleges Harrison made faced a lawsuit over proposed renovations. He sold the property in 2022.

According to the DOJ announcement, Harrison also allegedly used ill-gotten funds to pay off his mortgage and cover personal landscaping and tutoring costs for his child.

Harrison was an offensive lineman for the University of Virginia and then played for the Detroit Lions before retiring in 2000. After retiring, Harrison began a career in commercial real estate, focusing on redeveloping and restoring historic properties, according to his website.

In 2014, he opened his first multibuilding project, Plant 64, a 242-unit apartment complex in Winston-Salem, the Triad Business Journal reported. Harrison purchased the five properties in 2013 for just under $7 million.