MULLICA HILL, N.J. – The mysterious death of 24-year-old Mohamed Coulibaly, a South Jersey entrepreneur accused of running a multimillion-dollar investment scheme that drew in NFL players and executives, has taken a significant turn.
Coulibaly was found dead July 31 in a swimming pool at a home in Harrison Township after a family member requested a welfare check. Now, nearly a month later, the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office is withholding records surrounding his death because they “pertain to a criminal investigation,” according to new reporting published Friday by Barron’s.
- Coulibaly was found dead in a swimming pool July 31, less than three hours after a last-minute attempt to secure a $75,000 loan reportedly fell apart.
- Investors have accused his Motion Venture e-commerce operation of losses exceeding $5 million, while the FBI has reportedly interviewed people connected to the business.
- Gloucester County authorities have not declared Coulibaly’s death a homicide, but now say records concerning the death are connected to an ongoing criminal investigation.
The distinction is important. There has been no public announcement that Coulibaly was murdered, no homicide ruling has been released and no one has been charged in connection with his death.
Prosecutors Cite Criminal Investigation in Withholding Death Records
The latest development emerged after Barron’s sought records involving the welfare check that brought police to the Mullica Hill-area home and records from the medical examiner.
The Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office declined to release the material, saying it “pertain[s] to a criminal investigation.”
That is considerably more specific than simply saying the death remains under investigation.
Barron’s consulted former New Jersey state and federal prosecutor Lee Vartan, who said the county’s involvement would likely relate to the circumstances surrounding Coulibaly’s death rather than the separate federal investigation into his business dealings.
That remains an expert interpretation, however. Prosecutors have not publicly said they are investigating Coulibaly’s death as a homicide or identified another person as a suspect.
The cause and manner of Coulibaly’s death also have not been publicly disclosed.
Coulibaly Was Desperate for $75,000 Hours Before His Death
The final hours of Coulibaly’s life have become another major part of the story.
According to reporting by Barron’s and The Philadelphia Inquirer, Coulibaly was trying to secure another $75,000 loan on the day he died as investors and lenders were demanding money from him.
He reportedly offered a Lamborghini Urus and two expensive watches as collateral.
But when a courier arrived at the prospective lender’s home, the Lamborghini wasn’t there and the watches were allegedly determined to be fake. The deal collapsed.
Coulibaly continued pleading for the money, according to the reporting.
Less than three hours later, he was found dead.
Those circumstances do not establish that his financial problems had anything to do with his death. But they provide a remarkable backdrop to what was happening as people who said they had lost large amounts of money were pressing Coulibaly for answers.
Investors Say Millions Went Into Motion Venture
Coulibaly operated an e-commerce business known as Motion Venture, also identified as Vent Motion LLC.
The business offered investors what appeared to be a relatively straightforward opportunity: put money into Shopify stores selling everyday products while Coulibaly’s company handled the operation.
Investors could watch what appeared to be sales coming into their stores through Shopify dashboards.
But a Barron’s investigation raised serious questions about whether some of those sales were real.
The publication reported that transactions appearing on some dashboards were apparently manually entered rather than generated by actual customer purchases. In one case, Barron’s traced a supposed $5,000 order to an address where the resident said he had never made the purchase.
The Philadelphia Inquirer later reported that at least 10 people claimed combined losses exceeding $5 million.
Coulibaly disputed parts of the reporting before his death. He was never criminally charged in connection with the alleged investment scheme.
NFL Players and Executives Were Pulled Into the Story
Coulibaly’s connections to professional football helped turn what might otherwise have remained a regional investment dispute into a national story.
Former New York Giants linebacker Tae Crowder said he lost $500,000 after investing with Coulibaly.
Crowder said seeing recognizable names connected with the company helped convince him the investment was legitimate.
“I just seen a lot of different names on there that were legit,” Crowder said in an interview reported by Giants Wire. “People, NFL players, different players. And I was like, all right, it’s got to be legit, you know.”
Former Giants running back Matt Breida reportedly invested $250,000.
Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider also invested and lost money, according to Barron’s reporting citing a spokesperson.
A Motion Venture pitch deck reportedly included other prominent football names, including Philadelphia Eagles players Jalen Carter and former Eagles Nakobe Dean and Terrell Edmunds.
Their appearance in promotional material does not establish that they invested with Coulibaly or authorized the company to use their names.
Former Cardinals GM Steve Keim Says He Was a Victim
Former Arizona Cardinals general manager Steve Keim has become one of the most significant figures in the story because his connection went beyond appearing on a client list.
A Motion Venture pitch deck obtained by Pro Football Talk identified Keim as the company’s “chief operation/growth officer.”
Keim has said he was not involved in running the alleged scheme and instead lost a substantial amount of money himself.
He told The Philadelphia Inquirer that he initially invested in one store before purchasing interests in six more. His son and former wife also invested, with at least $1 million put into the business among the three, according to the newspaper.
Keim said Coulibaly later offered him the executive title, but he characterized his position as largely a figurehead role without access to bank records or decision-making authority.
“I introduced him to people to sell stores to and that sort of thing,” Keim told the Inquirer. “He called me the COO but he also made promises to give me health insurance and to have some kind of bonus structure.”
Keim said those benefits never materialized and that he eventually asked Coulibaly to stop using his name in promotional materials.
“This went downhill fast,” Keim said. “Not only did I get my name drug through the mud, I lost a lot of money since I was an investor.”
FBI Investigation Is Separate From Investigation Into Death
There are now two investigations surrounding the Coulibaly story, and they should not be confused.
The FBI has reportedly been examining the alleged e-commerce investment operation. Crowder said federal agents interviewed him in early July, before Coulibaly died, and Keim has said he was interviewed by the FBI as a victim.
The FBI has not publicly detailed the scope or status of that investigation.
Gloucester County authorities are investigating Coulibaly’s death.
Friday’s revelation that records are being withheld because they pertain to a criminal investigation adds a new layer to the case, but it does not answer its central question: how Coulibaly died.
No arrests have been announced in connection with his death. There also were no publicly announced fraud charges against Coulibaly before he died.
For now, the circumstances surrounding his final hours, the millions of dollars investors say they lost and the criminal investigation referenced by Gloucester County authorities remain separate pieces of a case that is still unfolding.
Gloucester County has not officially ruled Mohamed Coulibaly’s death a homicide.
The Prosecutor’s Office says records involving the death pertain to an ongoing criminal investigation, but authorities have not publicly announced a cause or manner of death.
Coulibaly was facing intense financial pressure shortly before he died.
Reporting indicates he was trying to obtain a $75,000 loan less than three hours before he was found dead, while investors and lenders were seeking money from him.
The FBI investigation and Gloucester County investigation are separate.
Federal investigators have reportedly examined allegations involving Coulibaly’s e-commerce business, while county authorities are investigating the circumstances surrounding his death.
Sources: Barron’s investigations published July 15 and Aug. 28; The Philadelphia Inquirer reporting on Motion Venture investors and Coulibaly’s final hours; Pro Football Talk reporting on the Motion Venture pitch deck; Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office records response as reported by Barron’s.
