Nina Thomas, the estranged wife of former NFL star Earl Thomas, has agreed to plead guilty to conspiring to defraud him of millions of dollars.
Under a deal with federal prosecutors, she will plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The offence carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a fine of up to 250,000 dollars.
A federal court order also makes Ms Thomas and her co-defendant, Kevin Thompson, jointly responsible for restitution of 3,497,444.64 dollars.
Thompson has agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and possession with intent to distribute cocaine. He faces up to five years in prison on the fraud charge, as well as a possible 250,000-dollar fine.
The cocaine charge carries a maximum sentence of 40 years and a fine of up to five million dollars.
Prosecutors allege that Ms Thomas and Thompson took more than 2.7 million dollars from Earl Thomas without his knowledge and moved money and other property into accounts they controlled.
The alleged scheme began in September 2021, after Ms Thomas filed for divorce from the former Seattle Seahawks free safety in 2020. The couple married in 2016 at a ceremony attended by Russell Wilson and Ciara.
Prosecutors also allege that the pair used the money for expensive purchases, including a 28,796-dollar Hermès Birkin handbag and a 52,890-dollar Porsche Panamera. They are also accused of charging 5,500 dollars to Earl Thomas’s credit card for plastic surgery.
Ms Thomas and Thompson were indicted in 2024 on charges including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and money laundering. Thompson was additionally charged with possessing at least 500 grams of cocaine with intent to distribute and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.
Both defendants were arrested and taken into custody on December 16, 2024.
