HARRISON TOWNSHIP, N.J. — New Jersey authorities are investigating the death of 24-year-old Mohamed Coulibaly, whose body was found Friday in the swimming pool of a home in Harrison Township as officers conducted a welfare check, officials said.
Police respond to welfare check, discover body
Local police were summoned after family members raised concerns about Coulibaly’s well-being. Officers discovered his body in the home's pool, and the circumstances surrounding his death are under investigation, authorities confirmed. No further details about the cause or manner of death were immediately released.
The discovery comes weeks after a Barron's investigation identified Coulibaly as the alleged organizer of an e-commerce fraud that targeted former NFL players and other athletes. The scheme reportedly involved convincing investors to buy stakes in online shops whose apparent sales figures were falsified.
Allegations of fabricated sales and investor losses
According to reporting by Barron's cited by investigators, the businesses offered to athletes appeared to be thriving based on sales logs that investors could review. Those records, investigators say, were manually entered by someone with access to the online stores’ back ends to create a false impression of profitability.
Jacob Adelman, a reporter with Barron's, described how the purported setup worked during interviews connected to the investigation.
"The athletes and other investors would buy into these e-commerce shops that seemed to be doing really good business based on the sales logs that they were able to review. But we were able to determine that those transactions were manually input by somebody with access to the backend of these stores."
Three former NFL players told investigators and reporters they collectively lost more than $1 million in the investments. Former New York Giants linebacker Tae Crowder has said he invested his life savings — $500,000 — after meeting Coulibaly through a mutual acquaintance.
"We was just, every day, talking about different investments and different things we could possibly get into. I saw him hanging out with a bunch of different guys that I know, which you know made me feel comfortable," Crowder said in comments reported by Barron's.
Victims report mounting concern
Victims described initially seeing what appeared to be functioning online shops with rising sales figures. According to the Barron's account, those figures later failed to produce returns and promised payouts were delayed with excuses, prompting investors to suspect they had been deceived.
Authorities have not publicly detailed whether criminal charges were filed before Coulibaly’s death or whether other suspects or co-conspirators are being sought. Representatives for Coulibaly were not listed in news accounts available at the time of reporting.
What investigators and victims are focusing on now
Officials in Harrison Township and other agencies involved in the inquiry are expected to continue pursuing leads related to the alleged scheme, including how sales logs were manipulated, financial flows tied to the online stores and communication between the accused organizer and investors.
- Law enforcement continues to investigate the circumstances of Coulibaly’s death.
- Financial forensic work is likely underway to trace the alleged scheme’s transactions and determine the extent of investor losses.
- Former athletes who reported losses are cooperating with reporters and, it appears, investigators to document their financial damage.
Known reported losses
| Reported item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Loss reported by three former NFL players (collective) | >$1,000,000 |
| Loss reported by Tae Crowder (individual) | $500,000 |
Investigators have not provided a full accounting of how many people might have been affected or disclosed whether other professional athletes beyond the three named in reporting are involved. The inquiry may also examine whether the scheme crossed state or international lines, which would involve federal agencies.
As the probe continues, victims and their representatives face the process of documenting losses for potential civil claims or criminal referrals. Financial fraud cases can hinge on electronic records, contracts, bank transfers and testimony from participants, all of which investigators will likely seek to preserve.
Authorities asked anyone with information related to the case to contact Harrison Township police. The township lies in Gloucester County, south of Philadelphia, and officials there did not immediately release additional comment beyond confirming the welfare check and discovery of the body.
WE NEWS will continue to monitor official releases and reporting developments related to the investigation in Harrison Township and any broader inquiries tied to the alleged e-commerce scheme.
