A Houston, Texas man pleaded guilty for his part in a scheme to defraud Australia’s government for millions of dollars.
Had Arael Doolittle, 56, pulled off his scam, he would have made off with $317 million. But his plan to sell 50 million N95 masks—which he never possessed—to the Australian government was disrupted by authorities before it was complete, a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of Texas stated.
Authorities say Doolittle “actually did not possess” the millions of masks he lied about having.
He now faces up to five years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 fine, NBC News reported.
The Secret Service spearheaded the investigation, and Doolittle will be sentenced on October 25.
Doolittle did not act alone. According to officials, his co-conspirator, Paschal Ngozi Eleanya, also aided in the scheme. Eleanya was charged with conspiracy and wire fraud.
Both negotiated with Australia’s government to sell the N95 masks, which were marked five times higher than what 3M lists the masks for, prosecutors claim.
“Based on their representations, the foreign government allegedly wired the funds to complete the purchase,” U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick stated.
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