An Orange County man, Christopher John Badsey, 63, was sentenced to over seven years in federal prison on Friday for scamming three companies out of $3 million. He promised to deliver protective gloves during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic but never provided them.
Badsey, from Lake Forest, was also ordered to pay $1.94 million in restitution after he admitted to four counts of wire fraud. In June and July 2020, when personal protective equipment (PPE) like masks and gloves were hard to find, Badsey claimed his Irvine-based company, First Defense International Security Services Corp., could supply millions of boxes of nitrile gloves.
He made deals with three companies, requiring each to pay around $1 million upfront before they could see the gloves. In total, the companies sent $3.2 million to accounts controlled by Badsey, his company, or an unnamed accomplice. However, Badsey never actually had the gloves and made up elaborate excuses when the companies asked about their orders. One of his excuses was a ridiculous claim that government agents were preventing access to his warehouse.
Instead of buying gloves, Badsey spent the money on luxury items, including a yacht, a pontoon boat, two Mercedes-Benz cars, two Ford trucks, an RV, a tractor, three ATVs, and fishing gear. He has since forfeited these items and $58,923 in cash.
Badsey, who had previously pleaded guilty to gun-related misdemeanors in 2016, had asked for a lighter sentence of one year and one day in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and a $400 fine.