An Orange County man is expected to be sentenced Friday in downtown Los Angeles for defrauding victims who paid for COVID-related medical-grade protective gloves that were never delivered, causing over $3 million in losses.
Christopher Badsey, 63, of Lake Forest, pleaded guilty in April 2023 to four federal counts of wire fraud, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Badsey told buyers he had access to millions of boxes of medical-grade nitrile gloves through his Irvine-based company, First Defense International Security Services Corp. This type of personal protective equipment was in high demand and short supply during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Badsey entered into contractual agreements with three companies, whom he required to provide a monetary deposit to inspect the gloves before delivery, papers filed in L.A. federal court show.
After receiving the deposits, Badsey instructed victim company representatives to travel to the Los Angeles area, where he claimed the gloves were stored in a warehouse.
However, when victims attempted to visit the warehouse, Badsey and other FDI employees provided excuses as to why the gloves could neither be inspected, nor delivered, to the victims.
Nitrile gloves were never provided, and Badsey absconded with the deposit money totaling over $3 million, according to his plea agreement.
After obtaining the victims’ wire deposits, Badsey and others used those funds to make lavish purchases for their personal benefit, including fishing boats, luxury cars, tractors and trucks.
Badsey is expected to be ordered to pay over $3.2 million in restitution to victims when he is sentenced, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.