Evergreen Reporter

An Orange County man was sentenced to 87 months in federal prison for defrauding companies of over $3 million during the COVID-19 pandemic. Christopher John Badsey, 63, of Lake Forest, received the sentence from United States District Judge Josephine L. Staton, who also ordered him to pay $1,938,990 in restitution.

Badsey pleaded guilty in April 2023 to four counts of wire fraud. In mid-2020, he misled three companies into believing he had access to millions of boxes of nitrile gloves through his Irvine-based company, First Defense International Security Services Corp. (FDI). This type of personal protective equipment was highly sought after during the early stages of the pandemic.

According to court documents, Badsey entered into contracts with these companies to sell them millions of boxes of gloves. He claimed that before inspecting the gloves stored in a Los Angeles warehouse, they needed to pay deposits exceeding $1 million each. However, no such gloves existed.

The companies wired a total of $3,231,990 based on Badsey’s false assurances. “[Badsey]…used the deposit money to make expensive purchases," prosecutors stated in a sentencing memorandum. These purchases included items such as a yacht and luxury vehicles.

All assets derived from his fraudulent activities have been forfeited by Badsey. The FBI conducted the investigation leading to his conviction.

Assistant United States Attorneys Kristin N. Spencer and Melissa S. Rabbani from the Santa Ana Branch Office prosecuted this case.