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An alleged scammer tried to profit from the coronavirus crisis by offering the federal government millions of face masks that didn’t exist, authorities say. Christopher Parris of Atlanta faces a wire fraud charge for trying to sell the Department of Veterans Affairs 125 million masks and other protective gear for more than $750 million — …
An alleged scammer tried to profit from the coronavirus crisis by offering the federal government millions of face masks that didn’t exist, authorities say.
Christopher Parris of Atlanta faces a wire fraud charge for trying to sell the Department of Veterans Affairs 125 million masks and other protective gear for more than $750 million — even though he did not actually have the supplies, according to federal prosecutors.
Parris, 39, promised he could get millions of “genuine” masks made by 3M even though he knew fulfilling the orders would be impossible, the feds said. He also tried to make deals for protective gear with state governments by making similar bogus claims to other entities, officials said.
The alleged scam came as health care workers battling the coronavirus grappled with a shortage of protective gear such as N95 respirator masks, which filter out airborne particles. Minnesota-based 3M — which President Trump recently ordered to produce more N95 masks — warned last month that its products were increasingly being counterfeited amid the pandemic.
Parris was arrested Friday and was due to be extradited to Washington, DC, where he has already been charged, the feds said. He faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted, officials said.
“During this time of crisis, fraud or attempted fraud impacting services for veterans, who have selflessly served this country, is unconscionable,” District of Columbia US Attorney Timothy Shea said in a statement.
The mask scam wasn’t the first that Parris has been accused of running. Federal prosecutors in upstate New York accused him and a business partner in January of running a Ponzi scheme that bilked roughly 1,000 investors out of more than $115 million.
