Man Sentenced for COVID Fraud

A 63-year-old Lake Forest man, Christopher John Badsey, has been sentenced to seven years in prison for defrauding companies out of more than $3 million during the COVID-19 pandemic. Badsey misled three companies into believing he had access to millions of boxes of nitrile gloves, which were in high demand as hospitals and law enforcement struggled to secure adequate supplies. The national stockpile of these essential gloves plummeted from 16.9 million in December 2019 to just 2 million by October 2020, highlighting the critical shortage during that period. In June and July 2020, Badsey entered into sales contracts with the companies, falsely claiming that the gloves were stored in a Los Angeles warehouse. He instructed the companies to wire over $1 million in deposits to accounts he controlled, amounting to a total of $3,231,990. However, prosecutors revealed that the gloves he promised did not exist, and he used the funds for personal expenses, including extravagant purchases. Federal prosecutors noted that Badsey concocted elaborate stories to maintain the ruse, even claiming that government agents were obstructing access to his supposed warehouse. In April 2023, he pleaded guilty to four counts of wire fraud. Alongside his prison sentence, Badsey has been ordered to forfeit a yacht, two Mercedes-Benz vehicles, and nearly $60,000 in cash, among other assets acquired through his fraudulent activities.