NFL Player Sues Rolando Blackman For Running An Alleged African Gold Scam

Hey, what's four-time all-star and Mavericks legend Rolando Blackman been up to? Well...it's complicated. Just don't send him any money until this

The full lawsuit is below, and it's a quick and breezy read as far as these things go.

Nate Jones is a cornerback who was drafted by and played four years for the Cowboys, then bounced around the NFL for a while. He last appeared for the Patriots in 2011, and that seemed to be the end of his football career. (In the lawsuit he describes himself as "an independently wealthy individual, having played in the National Football League for a number of years.")

Last year, Jones was approached by Blackman and his engineer buddy David Mureeba. The pair urged him to invest in Mureeba's company, East Africa Power & Energy. They had a plan. They'd airlift gold and other precious metals from Tanzania to Belgium, where they'd be sold to a refinery. How could it miss? Jones gave them a check for $150,000. ("If you can, it would be preferable if you did USD $300K," Mureeba wrote in an email. Jones left it at $150K.)

Blackman guaranteed Jones a four percent return on his investment. As you might have guessed, East Africa Power & Energy doesn't exist. Jones wondered where his money went, and in September asked Blackman for an update. In response, he got a letter from Blackman's attorney. It said that Blackman would have no further contact with Jones, and that Jones was to cease all communication with him.

Yesterday, Jones filed suit in a Dallas County court. He's accusing Blackman and Mureeba for fraud and breach of contract, and seeking his $150,000, court fees, and additional punitive damages.

[ Courthouse News Service]