Parents in Naples thought they were supporting youth football.
Instead, they got taken for a ride by a career criminal.
And this Florida man’s fake door-to-door NFL ticket scam left families seeing red when they discovered the truth.
Jacob Donald Thielking had it all figured out, or so he thought.
The 38-year-old Naples man spent weeks roaming through some of the area’s nicest neighborhoods with his official-looking white binder, complete with "Pop Warner Little Scholars" emblazoned across the front.¹
He’d knock on doors with a practiced smile, spinning tales about fundraising for the Naples Gators youth football team.
The pitch was simple: buy raffle tickets for an upcoming Tampa Bay Buccaneers versus New York Jets game, and you’d be supporting local kids while getting a shot at prime NFL seats.
One problem though – Thielking had zero connection to the Naples Gators.
No coaching credentials, no organizational ties, and certainly no authority to sell raffle tickets for games that didn’t exist.
Phone Calls Start Pouring Into Real Naples Gators Office
Things went sideways fast when Naples Gators Inc. executives started getting calls from puzzled residents all over Collier County. Families were asking about raffle tickets they’d purchased, wanting to know when they’d receive their Bucs-Jets game entries.²
Problem was, nobody at the legitimate charity had ever heard of any such raffle.
The Naples Gators – which has been running Pop Warner youth football and cheerleading programs since 1958 – knew immediately they had a problem. Someone was dragging their good name through the mud while stealing from their neighbors.
So they did what any responsible organization would do.
They called the Collier County Sheriff’s Office and reported that some lowlife was impersonating their people to scam local families.
Deputies realized pretty quickly this wasn’t some innocent mix-up. Thielking had launched a deliberate con job designed to prey on people’s desire to help local kids.
Sheriff Kevin Rambosk didn’t mince words about what they’d uncovered. "This individual preyed on residents’ goodwill and their desire to support youth sports in Collier County," he stated after Thielking’s arrest.³
Turns out Thielking had been working his way through some pretty nice neighborhoods: Royal Wood, Wilshire Lakes, Heritage Greens, Tuscany Cove, and Indigo Lakes. With his professional-looking binder and smooth sales pitch, he’d managed to separate a bunch of trusting residents from their money.
This Guy Was Already Facing Fraud Charges in Another County
Want to know what makes this whole thing even worse?
When deputies tracked down Thielking on Monday near Radio Road and Radio Lane, they found out he was supposed to be laying low.⁴
Thielking was out on bond from Manatee County – already facing grand theft and fraud charges there, including ripping off elderly and disabled people.
Those earlier charges included exploitation of an elderly person or disabled adult, which tells you everything you need to know about this guy’s character.
He’d already been caught targeting vulnerable people, yet somehow he was walking around free to run the same type of con in a different county.
Thielking now faces multiple felony fraud charges in Collier County, including misrepresentation of a charitable organization.
But the damage was already done to families who thought they were doing something good for local kids.
The Naples Gators organization released a statement thanking the sheriff’s office for their "swift action to apprehend this individual who was falsely using the Naples Gators Football and Cheer Program name for his transgressions."⁵
They also pointed out something that makes this scam even more harmful: "Unfortunately, actions like this only hinder all the local youth sports programs’ fundraising ability, who rely on the donations and sponsorships of the public."
How to Spot These Donation Scams Before You Get Burned
Sheriff Rambosk walked families through some basic steps they can take when someone shows up asking for charitable donations.
Start with identity verification. Don’t assume that official-looking materials mean someone actually represents the organization they claim. Scammers invest in props.
Next, do your homework online. Real fundraisers will have information posted on the organization’s official website and social media accounts. No legitimate charity runs secret raffles.
Watch out for pressure tactics too. Honest fundraisers give you time to think and verify their credentials before asking for money.
Third, be cautious of high-pressure sales tactics. Legitimate fundraisers will usually give you time to think about it and verify their credentials.
Most importantly, if something feels off, pause and call the organization directly before handing over any money.
Call the Collier County Sheriff’s Office "Call Before You Pay" hotline at 239-252-2255.⁶
One Bad Apple
One smooth-talking con artist with a fake binder managed to damage that reputation and make future legitimate fundraising efforts more difficult.
Now every time the real Naples Gators volunteers approach potential donors, they’ll have to overcome the skepticism that Thielking created.
The organization is trying to turn this negative situation into a positive by reminding the community that they can always verify legitimate fundraising efforts by contacting board members listed on their official website at naplesgators.com.
Detective work led to Thielking’s quick arrest, but authorities believe there are likely more victims out there who haven’t come forward yet. Anyone with information about this case can contact the CCSO non-emergency line at 239-252-9300.
The good news is that Thielking is now behind bars where he belongs. The bad news is that his actions have made it harder for legitimate youth organizations to raise the funds they need to serve local kids.
¹ Shari Armstrong, "Man arrested for posing as Naples coach, selling tickets for fake NFL raffle," Fox 4, July 30, 2025.
² Naples Gators Inc., Statement on fraudulent raffle investigation, July 30, 2025.
³ Kevin Rambosk, Sheriff statement on Thielking arrest, Collier County Sheriff’s Office, July 30, 2025.
⁴ Collier County Sheriff’s Office, "Arrest report for Jacob Donald Thielking," July 29, 2025.
⁵ Naples Gators Inc., "Official statement regarding fraudulent fundraising scheme," July 30, 2025.
⁶ Collier County Sheriff’s Office, "Call Before You Pay hotline information," July 30, 2025.
