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Irving Fryar, 51, of Springfield, a former wide receiver for the Philadelphia Eagles, and his mother, Allene McGhee, 72, of Willingboro, were indicted today for deceiving banks into granting them multiple home loans in a short period of time.

(N.J. Attorney General's Office)

Irving Fryar, 51, of Springfield, a former wide receiver for the Philadelphia Eagles, and his mother, Allene McGhee, 72, of Willingboro, were indicted today for deceiving banks into granting them multiple home loans in a short period of time.

TRENTON — Former Pro Bowl and Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Irving Fryar was indicted today along with his mother for conspiring to steal more than $690,000 by deceiving banks into granting them several home equity loans, state authorities said.

Fryar, 51, of Springfield, in Burlington County, and his mother, Allene McGhee, 72, of Willingboro, teamed up to obtain five loans in a period of six days in 2009 using a single property — McGhee’s home — as collateral, the state Attorney General’s Office said.

But in doing so, the pair reported false information on the loan applications, authorities said, including that McGhee earned thousands of dollars each month as an event coordinator for the New Jerusalem House of God, a church Fryar founded in his hometown of Mount Holly.

Acting state Attorney General John Hoffman said the pair failed to tell each bank they approached about the other loans they had been granted. Fryar, he said, received or spent about $200,000, and the pair made only a few payments on four loans before the banks wrote off the losses.

"This is not a case in which Mr. Fryar and his mother simply omitted or misstated information on loan applications," Hoffman said. "This indictment alleges that they engaged in an elaborate criminal scheme that was designed to defraud these banks of hundreds of thousands of dollars."

Fryar played for four National Football League teams from 1984 to 2000, including the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles, and made the Pro Bowl five times. He is pastor of the church he founded and was hired in March as head coach of the Robbinsville High School varsity football team.

"It is disappointing that someone with an illustrious career in professional sports who now is a minister and coach in the community is charged with this crime, but he must face justice like anyone else," Hoffman said.

The superintendent of the Robbinsville Public School District, Steven Mayer, said Fryar was suspended without pay and could be fired as soon as Tuesday when the school board meets. Assistant coach Mitar Rudanovic will serve as interim head coach of the Ravens, who are 1-4 under Fryar.

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During his NFL career, Fryar was arrested on weapons charges and battled drug addiction before he said he hit rock bottom and turned to God. Mayer said the school investigated Fryar thoroughly before hiring him this summer and found no reason not to move forward.

"We ran all the checks and everything came up positive," Mayer said. "We crossed every ‘T’ and dotted every ‘I’. This is something that obviously we had no knowledge of."

Attorneys for Fryar and McGhee could not be reached for comment. The assistant football coach in Robbinsville, Mark Hutton, who is one of Fryar’s best friends, said Fryar did not mention the indictment when the two spoke today.

"No. I’m not hearing nothing about that," Hutton said.

The indictment, handed up by a state grand jury in Mercer County, charges Fryar and McGhee with second-degree conspiracy and theft by deception. Each charge carries a sentence of five to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $150,000 upon conviction.

The case was assigned to Superior Court in Burlington County, where the two will be ordered to appear for arraignment at a later date.

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