Constraints on the amount of fees football agents can receive based on the successful negotiation of contracts with professional NFL teams make it rather difficult for many agents to make a decent living in the business. Add the financial obligations concerning pre-Draft training and cost of living, and an agent’s financial situation can become even more suspect. However, this does not give agents a right to skirt the law and earn money off of their clients through illegal means. According to a recent report, that may be the case concerning football agent Benjamin Geller, who has recently been charged with wire fraud.
The specifics of the situation involve Geller allegedly stealing roughly $500,000 from one of his deceased client’s life insurance policy. The deceased player is Frank Warren, who was a defensive lineman for the New Orleans Saints from 1981-1994. Warren passed away at the young age of 43 due to the suffering of a heart attack.
According to the report, Geller helped Warren with the securing of his life insurance policy in 1994, right around the time that Warren retired from the NFL. The proceeds of the policy were supposed to go into a trust to benefit Warren’s surviving family. Geller was the trustee.
If Geller is found guilty of using a large chunk of the proceeds from the trust for his personal benefit, he could face up to 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
