A Lake Forest man pleaded guilty on Wednesday, April 12, to defrauding companies out of more than $3 million in needed medical supplies at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, federal prosecutors said.
Christopher John Badsey, 62, pleaded guilty to four counts of wire fraud and could face up to 20 years in federal prison for each count at a sentencing hearing in September.
In June and July of 2020, investigators said, Badsey told three companies he had access to a large supply of nitrile gloves, vital protective equipment in the early days of the pandemic, through his Irvine company, First Defense International Security Services Corp.
In truth, authorities said, Badsey never had any of the gloves.
Before representatives could inspected the gloves, he asked for a deposit of $1 million or more from each company.
Badsey told the companies to wire the deposits, and he received $3.2 million.
He must forfeit items and money he received because of the fraud as part of his plea deal, including a yacht, a pontoon boat, several cars, fishing equipment and over $50,000 in cash.
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