Buster Skrine Facing Fraud Charges in Canada

Former Bears slot cornerback Buster Skrine was arrested after allegedly opening bank accounts with fraudulent checks and taking money out before they cleared.

Former Bears slot cornerback Buster Skrine was arrested at Pearson International Airport in Toronto Wednesday for fraud and a handful of other charges after allegedly opening bank accounts with fraudulent checks and withdrawing money before they cleared.

Skrine is charged with four counts of fraud over $5,000, seven counts of making false statements to produce money, three counts of possession of property obtained by a crime over $5,000 and one count of possession of property obtained by a crime over $5,000. All told, the accounts opened reportedly for more than $100,000.

A bail hearing was held but police did not reveal what the bail was set at.

Skrine, 34, played from 2011 through 2021 in the NFL, with his longest stints of four years each coming for the Cleveland Browns and New York Jets. He was with the Bears in 2019 and 2020 on a three-year, $16.5 million deal to be their slot cornerback after Bryce Callahan left to go to Denver in free agency. The Bears waived him before the 2021 season. 

Skrine also played in 2021 for the Titans and 49ers. He made 10 career interceptions and 88 pass breakups while playing in 158 NFL games with 95 starts.

In 12 seasons, Spotrac.com tracked him at $40.37 million in NFL earnings.

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