Once a rising football star, John Leake entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2004. Over three seasons, he played in 25 games and recorded 17 tackles. Now, instead of game plans, he faces years in a federal prison cell, paying the price for a financial playbook built on fraud.

A former NFL linebacker who played briefly with the Green Bay Packers was sentenced to 2½ years in federal prison this week after he admitted to running a Ponzi scheme involving West African gold mines,

A former NFL linebacker who briefly played for the Green Bay Packers has been sentenced to 2½ years in federal prison for orchestrating a Ponzi scheme that involved fraudulent investments in West African gold mines.