Mohamed Coulibaly, a 24-year-old man accused of orchestrating a fake e-commerce operation that allegedly targeted former NFL players, has been found dead in a New Jersey swimming pool — just weeks after explosive allegations surrounding the scheme came to light.

Coulibaly’s body was discovered on July 31 at a home in Harrison Township, New Jersey, after family members became concerned about his wellbeing and requested a welfare check, according to officials. The circumstances surrounding his death remain under investigation.

The discovery comes at a particularly striking moment. Coulibaly had recently been accused of convincing athletes to invest large sums of money into what appeared to be profitable online businesses, only for the sales figures presented to investors to allegedly be fabricated.

Among those who said they were affected was former NFL linebacker Tae Crowder, who claimed he invested his entire $500,000 in savings into one of the businesses after being introduced to Coulibaly through a mutual connection.

Crowder later said he never received the money he expected from the investment. Coulibaly, however, denied the scam allegations and reportedly maintained that investors had not yet been paid because he was waiting for funds connected to a planned acquisition of his venture.

The allegations had placed Coulibaly under growing scrutiny, with reports describing a scheme that could have involved roughly $1 million in losses among former NFL players. But before the allegations could fully play out, Coulibaly was found dead.

The timing has inevitably added another layer of intrigue to a case that was already attracting attention. Authorities have not publicly determined how Coulibaly died, and there is currently no indication that his death was connected to the alleged investment scheme.

What investigators do know is that his family had become concerned enough to request a welfare check, leading officers to the New Jersey residence where his body was ultimately discovered in the pool.

For the former NFL players who say they lost substantial sums, Coulibaly’s death means the person at the center of the allegations is no longer available to answer questions himself.

And that leaves a case already filled with disputed claims facing an even bigger unanswered question: what happened inside that New Jersey home before Coulibaly was found in the pool — and will investigators uncover anything that changes the story surrounding the alleged scheme?

For now, authorities say the death remains under investigation, while the allegations against Coulibaly remain unproven.