In the second high-profile internet hoax involving an athlete this year, Miami Heat center Chris Andersen was the victim of a “wide-ranging and complex Internet impersonation scheme” by a woman in Canada, an attorney for Andersen told the Denver Post in a story posted today.
Attorney Mark Bryant told the Post that the woman, whose name was not released, “sought relationships and gifts but also threatened at least one person” while pretending to be the NBA player. Bryant told the Post that the woman has been charged in Canada with extortion, impersonation and possession and distribution of child pornography.
The peculiar case began in 2012 when detectives working for the Douglas County Internet Crimes Against Children unit searched Andersen’s Larkspur, CO home while he was playing for the Denver Nuggets. Although authorities would not comment on the nature of the investigation, an attorney told the Denver Post that the search was related to extortion threats made by a young woman in California who claimed to be underage and promised to come forward with their relationship unless he paid “for everything on her Amazon wishlist and 5k for her bedding stuff and her victoria secret wishlist," according to a document reviewed by the Post written by a person claiming to be the young woman's mother.
According to Bryant, it now appears that the woman in California was interacting with Andersen’s Canadian imposter.
With a 6-foot-10-inch body covered in tattoos as colorful as his Birdman nickname, Andersen was a long-time fan favorite in Denver before falling under a cloud of suspicion created by the investigation. After being waived by the Nuggets following the 2012 season, he signed with the Heat in January and helped the team win an NBA Championship in June.
In a statement released by his lawyer to the Denver Post in January, Andersen wrote: "I appreciate everybody that's supported me, and I don't want to say anything bad about anybody, it's everybody's worst nightmare, but I just want to thank everyone that supported me and knew this was a lie from the beginning. They know how I love people, they know how I love kids and they know where my heart has been in this community."
