LOS ANGELES
An Orange County man was arrested by FBI agents this week for defrauding victims who paid for COVID-related medical protective equipment that was never delivered, officials announced.
The fraud caused nearly $3 million in losses, according to officials.
Christopher John Badsey, 60, of Lake Forest, was arrested by FBI agents on July 8 without incident. He is charged with four counts of wire fraud and two counts of money laundering.
According to an indictment returned by a federal grand jury this wee, Badsey falsely represented that he had access to millions of boxes of medical-grade nitrile gloves through his Irvine-based company, First Defense International Security Services Corp (FDI).
This type of personal protective equipment was in high demand and in short supply during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Badsey allegedly entered into contractual agreements with victims, whom he required to provide a money deposit to inspect the gloves before delivery.
After receiving the deposits, Badsey allegedly instructed victims to travel to the Los Angeles area, where he claimed the gloves were stored in a warehouse. But when victims attempted to visit the warehouse, Badsey and other FDI employees allegedly provided excuses as to why the gloves could neither be inspected nor delivered, to the victims, according to officials.
Nitrile gloves were never provided to the victims, and Badsey is alleged to have absconded with the deposit money totaling nearly $3 million. After obtaining the victims’ wire deposits, Badsey and others are believed to have used those funds to make lavish purchases for their personal benefit.
Badsey is presumed innocent unless proven guilty. If convicted of all the charges, Badsey is facing up to 100 years in federal prison, according to officials.