Julio Jones and Roddy White caused a lot of trouble for defenders on the football field as teammates on the Atlanta Falcons. Now, they might be getting into trouble off the field.
According to court documents obtained by The Tennessean on Tuesday night, Jones and White are being sued by California-based cannabis company Genetixs in connection to alleged fraud and money laundering. The two wide receivers — the former still playing with the Tennessee Titans, and the latter retired since 2017 — have been accused of colluding with a father and son, John and Shaun Van Beek, to run a black-market cannabis operation through the Genetixs facility. Through what Genetixs says was illegal management and operation of their facility, they have estimated that Jones, White, the Van Beeks and the other defendants involved have illegally harvested and sold around $3 million per month since March 2021, when they stopped reporting cannabis sales.
Jones and White initially became involved with Genetixs when they invested in the company through SLW Holdings, White's company and one of the five members that comprise Genetixs.
John Van Beek was hired to be the on-site manager and operator of Genetixs' leased facility in California, though a state inspection found "numerous violations" and led to Van Beek's termination in March 2021. The Van Beeks allegedly disabled cameras in the facility, which may have led to the behavior of which they and the other defendants have been accused. According to the documents, they "looted, removed and misappropriated Genetixs' cannabis" from 22 harvests and damaged millions of dollars' worth of machinery, equipment and more.
Jones, White, the Van Beeks and the rest of the defendants are being sued on grounds of conspiracy to defend, conversion, breach of fiduciary duty and more.
Larry Brown, of Larry Brown Sports, reported the same news as an exclusive on his website before Roddy White reached out to him:
White tells Larry Brown Sports that the allegations are “completely false.” He says he did a background check and learned that two of the people involved with Genetixs are felons who put the company’s cannabis license in jeopardy. He says they are trying to have the men removed from the company, and that their attempt to remove the men spurred the legal complaint in response. White states that he and Jones financed Genetixs from start to finish, and therefore they would have no reason to steal from themselves.
The Tennessean, on the other hand, has not yet had luck making contact with the Titans.
Jones and White rank No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, on the franchise leaderboards for receptions and receiving yards, white they switch places in the category of receiving touchdowns. In their time together as teammates from 2011 to 2015, Atlanta recorded a 41-39 record with two playoff appearances. Following White's last season of game action in 2015, Atlanta reached the Super Bowl, with Jones earning his second consecutive first-team All-Pro honors. He was moved to the Tennessee Titans following the 2020 season.
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