A former American college football player facing the possibility of caning in Singapore was arrested last month on the basis of international criminal complaints for alleged financial crimes, a spokesperson for the government there has said.

Kamari Kenyada Charlton was taken into custody on Sept. 1 at Changi Airport as he was about to leave Singapore with his pregnant wife. Charlton was initially charged with overstaying his visa - for 169 days - a crime that carries a sentence of three strokes of a cane and jail time.

But on Friday, a government spokesman said the real reason Charlton was detained was because Singapore had received criminal complaints against him alleging financial crimes. Two of the complaints, a police statement said, came through Interpol, contending that Charlton was involved in a scheme to defraud elderly Australians through a Singapore-based phone scam operation.

The last time Singapore made news with the caning of an American was in 1994, when Michael P. Fay was struck four times on his backside after he pleaded guilty to vandalizing cars. Singapore had reduced his sentence from six strokes after then-President Bill Clinton interceded.

Charlton played football for Florida State University. His attorneys told reporters that he currently runs a construction company.