Mekeli Ieremia

Mekeli Tolufale Ieremia (born March 4, 1954) is an American Samoan former professional football defensive tackle who played one season with the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at BYU and was selected by the Chicago Bears in the sixth round of the 1978 NFL draft.

Early life and college Mekeli Tolufale Ieremia was born on March 4, 1954, in Niosafutu, American Samoa. He attended Sleepy Hollow High School in Sleepy Hollow, New York. He was released by the Bears on August 22, 1978.

Ieremia signed with the Buffalo Bills on December 7, 1978. Shortly after New Hope closed, Ieremia opened Aloha Youth Academy in Laie, Hawaii in April 1999. However, it was shut down in November 1999 after failing to secure state licensing. In August 2000, Ieremia was sentenced to ten years in prison for theft of $4.7 million from the Socorro Independent School District (SISD) in El Paso, Texas. He was working for SISD at the time as the director of risk management. In that role, he siphoned money out of SISD's workers' compensation fund to pay a "golfing buddy" for high priced and unnecessary employee background checks.