NFL Veteran Files $20 Million Lawsuit Against Bank of America Corp.

LOS ANGELES, C.A. – National Football League player Dwight Freeney filed a lawsuit against Bank of America Corp., claiming the bank set him up with an unqualified private banker.

The 13-year NFL veteran, who played with the San Diego Chargers last season, complained to the state court in Los Angeles that the bank was complicit in a fraud scheme that caused him to lose more than $20 million.

“In the course of the scheme, Mr. Freeney was lied to, misled and had more than $8.5 million misappropriated from his BOA accounts by the very bankers and advisers who were responsible for managing his assets, investments and income,” according to the complaint filed Feb. 23rd.

Freeney states that in 2010 he engaged Bank of America’s Global Wealth & Investment Management Division to manage his money. The head of Freeney’s advisory team at the bank arranged for Eva Weinberg, a former bank employee, to be Freeney’s principal liaison with the bank, according to the complaint.

“Although we sympathize with Mr. Freeney as the victim of a crime, the bank had nothing to do with the criminal scheme,” Bill Halldin, a spokesman for Charlotte-based Bank of America, said in a statement. “The primary wrongdoer never worked for the bank or any of its affiliates and the other person committed her criminal conduct after she left Merrill Lynch in 2010.”

Freeney played his first 11 seasons with the Indianapolis Colts and last two with San Diego.

In July 2007, Freeney became the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history, signing a $72 million contract extension that included a $30 million signing bonus, according to ESPN.

The 35-year-old free agent said this month that he’ll continue his NFL career, according to the San Diego Union- Tribune.

The case is Freeney v. Bank of America Corp., BC573275, Los Angeles County Superior Court.