Atlanta man arrested for defrauding George Mason basketball team out of Bahamas trip

In August 2023, George Mason University in Virginia, a member of the Atlantic 10 conference, planned a team trip for its men's basketball squad to the Bahamas. This trip included exhibition games and sightseeing activities, for which the university paid nearly $160,000 through a sports marketing firm that partnered with Maurice Smith, the CEO of Eugene Toriko travel agency. However, a day before the scheduled departure, the trip was abruptly canceled after university officials were informed that all travel reservations had lapsed due to nonpayment. The situation escalated when the FBI began investigating the fraud claims. An affidavit revealed that Maurice Smith allegedly operated his travel agency like a Ponzi scheme. He reportedly misused funds intended for the team's travel arrangements on personal expenses and to issue partial refunds to earlier clients whose trips had also been canceled. Smith's actions have drawn significant attention, leading to his arrest and subsequent charges being unsealed in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Virginia. The court records indicate that as of now, the George Mason University Foundation has yet to receive reimbursement for the funds lost due to this fraudulent scheme. Despite the chaos, the men's basketball program, currently holding a record of 7-3, is trying to recover from this setback. In a letter to the university, Smith described the cancellation as a "logistical error" and promised to implement stricter controls in the future—claims that appear hollow against the backdrop of the FBI's allegations. The ongoing fallout from this incident raises questions about the integrity of travel arrangements made on behalf of college athletic programs and how such mismanagement can severely impact institutional trust and reputation.