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Why Alshon Jeffery, retired Super Bowl winner, faces felony insurance fraud charges
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- Why Alshon Jeffery, retired Super Bowl winner, faces felony insurance fraud charges
SAN DIEGO − Alshon Jeffery , a retired NFL wide receiver who won a Super Bowl ring with the Philadelphia Eagles , is facing two felony charges of insurance fraud stemming from a car crash in San Diego County last September, according to court records obtained by USA TODAY Sports.
Jeffery, 36, had no insurance coverage when the accident happened on Sept. 21, but he filed a false claim stating the accident happened Sept. 28 after he obtained a new insurance policy on Sept. 24, according to a declaration filed in court by an investigator for the San Diego County District Attorney.
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A warrant for his arrest was issued after he failed to appear for his arraignment March 9. He then was arrested during a traffic stop shortly before 7:30 a.m. April 15 in Encinitas, California, according to the San Diego County Sheriff's Office. He was booked into jail in nearby Vista, California, before being released a few hours later on a $25,000 bond. He is scheduled to be arraigned April 23.
"The underlying incident was a minor freeway fender bender, and he provided his information at the scene," Jeffrey's representative, Denise White, said in a statement provided to USA TODAY Sports. "These are unfounded allegations only, and Alshon has not been convicted of any offense. He will address this matter through the legal process, and he remains confident that the facts will demonstrate this was a misunderstanding and nothing more."
Jeffery earned more than $63 million during his NFL career from 2012 to 2020, according to Spotrac . He recently lived in Encinitas, California, a coastal city in north San Diego County. The investigator provided the following details in a declaration to support the arrest warrant for Jeffery:
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Alshon Jeffery insurance fraud charge timeline
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On Sept. 21, 2025, Jeffery was driving on north Interstate 5 in San Diego when he collided with the rear of a 2024 Tesla driven by a Lyft ride-share driver who was transporting a passenger.
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A repair estimate shows $13,058.90 in damage to Jeffery's 2021 Mercedes. Several repair estimates for the Lyft driver's Tesla show that car sustained more than $10,000 in damage.
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The Lyft driver filed a claim, but it was denied because Jeffery's insurance policy with Infinity Insurance had lapsed on Aug. 18 for nonpayment.
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On Sept. 24 – three days after the crash – Jeffrey obtained a new insurance policy with Infinity. On Oct. 17, he filed a claim stating that the collision took place Sept. 28.
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Infinity Insurance obtained collision scene photos taken by the Lyft driver and determined the rear-end collision happened on Sept. 21, when Jeffery had no insurance coverage, not on Sept. 28 as Jeffery claimed after Jeffery obtained new coverage Sept. 24.
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The insurance company's special investigations unit tried to contact Jeffery, but he did not respond. Infinity denied Jeffery's accident claim.
What happened next in Alshon Jeffery case
A felony complaint against Jeffery was filed Feb. 23, and an arraignment was scheduled for March 9. Jeffery missed the arraignment, leading to the arrest warrant.
Jeffery now faces up to five years in prison and a fine of $50,000 on each of the charges. The first charge is to "knowingly present a false or fraudulent claim for the payments of a loss for theft, destruction, damage, or conversion of a motor vehicle, a motor vehicle part, or contents of a motor vehicle."
The second charge is to "Conceal, or knowingly fail to disclose the occurrence of, an event that affects any person's initial or continued right or entitlement to any insurance benefit or payment, or the amount of any benefit or payment to which the person is entitled."
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During the 2018 Super Bowl, Jeffery caught three passes for 73 yards and a touchdown and helped lead the team to its first Super Bowl title. He played for the Chicago Bears from 2012 from 2016 and for the Eagles from 2017 to 2020. After being picked by the Bears in the second round of the 2012 NFL draft, the South Carolina product was named to the Pro Bowl in 2013.
(This story was updated to add new information.)
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Alshon Jeffery faces felony insurance fraud charges in California
