Former NFL player out on bail wanted in GTA after GPS monitor disconnected

A former NFL player out on bail while facing fraud charges in the Greater Toronto Area is wanted after he failed to attend court earlier this week and his GPS monitor was disconnected.

On Wednesday, Durham Regional Police said 34-year-old Darryl Frank "Buster" Skrine is wanted for failing to appear and failing to comply with a release order.

Skrine, who played in the NFL for 11 seasons, was supposed to attend court on May 6 but was a no-show. Police said his court-ordered GPS monitor had also gone offline.

Both were conditions when he was granted bail from a Saskatchewan Correctional Centre on April 12. The American was transferred there from an Ontario Correctional Centre three days earlier to face additional fraud charges.

Skrine, a U.S. citizen from Georgia, was initially arrested last summer at Toronto Pearson International Airport while trying to fly back to the United States.

He was subsequently charged with 15 offences, including four counts of fraud over $5,000 for allegedly using fraudulent cheques to withdraw more than $100,000 in cash from at least four banks and credit unions across Durham Region between Sept. 2022 and the summer of 2023.

Police allege Skrine used his position as a former NFL player to commit the fraud. He was drafted in the fifth round of the 2011 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns and went on to play for the New York Jets, the Chicago Bears, the San Francisco 49ers and the Tennessee Titans.

Throughout his NFL career, he earned more than US$40 million in salary.

The charges against him have not been tested in court.

Police are asking anyone who knows his whereabouts to contact them at 1-888-579-1520 ext. 5371 or Durham Regional Crime Stoppers anonymously.

With files from Chris Fox