Ex-Charger gets 3 years for fraud
Former San Diego Charger player Benjamin Leon Coleman was sentenced Friday in federal court to three years in prison for fraudulent loan applications, identity theft and tax evasion.
Coleman, 37, pleaded guilty to scams that involved borrowing money based on phony companies.
A star at Wake Forest University, Coleman played from 1993 to 2001 in the NFL, including seven seasons with the Chargers.
At his career best, he earned $1.5 million a year.
District Court Judge Dana M. Sabraw ordered Coleman to pay about $240,500 to the financial institutions he defrauded.
For one phony application, he used the name of a former teammate, prosecutors said.
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