Irving Fryar Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison for Role in Mortgage Scam

After former NFL wide receiver Irving Fryar rejected a plea deal last October stemming from his involvement in a mortgage scam, the 53-year-old was sentenced to five years in prison Friday, according to the Associated Press (via ESPN.com).

Fryar and his mother, Allene McGhee, were previously convicted of providing false wage information on loan applications that allowed them to collect $1.2 million from various lenders, per the Philadelphia Inquirer's Jan Hefler.

McGhee was ordered to serve three years of probation.

"The fact that Fryar had the means to succeed and do good things and instead chose this criminal path makes his actions all the more reprehensible," acting New Jersey Attorney General John Hoffman said, according to the Associated Press.

Fryar's lawyers reportedly said the 17-year NFL veteran was duped by William Barksdale, who pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge and accepted a 20-month jail sentence in exchange for his cooperation. 

According to Hefler, Barksdale was previously facing the possibility of up to 30 years in jail and $1 million in fines stemming from a wire-fraud scheme that spanned more than three years in New Jersey.