Former WVU RB Wendell Smallwood Reportedly Facing Up to 50 Years in Prison

Some unexpected news comes out on a former West Virginia running back.

Ben Queen-Imagn Images

Thursday afternoon, Xerxes Wilson of the Delaware News Journal reported that former West Virginia running back Wendell Smallwood has been charged with fraud tied to COVID-19 relief programs.

The three felonies he is being charged with are wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and conspiracy to defraud the Internal Revenue Service which can result in up to a maximum of 50 years in prison.

Federal prosecutors allege that the former Mountaineer defrauded government agencies by submitting false information to get thousands of dollars paid to the businesses he operated, according to court documents filed in the District of Delaware. Prosecutors also accuse Smallwood of being part of a kickback conspiracy to defraud COVID-19 relief programs and lying to tax authorities.

According to Tom Dougherty of CBS News, court documents also show that "Smallwood applied for COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) using "defunct or recently registered businesses and claimed false business operations" in applications to the Small Business Administration."

A hearing is scheduled to take place in December.

During his time at West Virginia (2013-15), Smallwood rushed for 2,462 yards and 12 touchdowns on 425 carries. In his final year in the Old Gold and Blue, he was the Big 12's leading rusher with 1,549 yards.

The Philadelphia Eagles selected Smallwood in the fifth round of the 2016 NFL Draft, where he won a Super Bowl in 2018. He also spent time with the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Washington Commanders.

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