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| Brendan McDermid/Reuters</td> |
Fraudsters in the U.S. swindled funds that were supposed to buy 12 million face masks for Canadians in the frantic early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, a new criminal indictment alleges.
American authorities this week arrested two residents of New York state, charging them with wire fraud in an alleged $8.2-million US scam.
Jonathan Cannon and Julie Dotton are accused of devising a scheme in which they falsely promised millions of masks to a Canadian company that was supplying two provinces.
"The defendants sought to take advantage of a provider's need for life-saving personal protective equipment through a fraudulent scheme that was designed in reality to line their own pockets," said U.S. Attorney Breon Peace.
"Fraudsters who sought to capitalize on the worldwide pandemic will be brought to justice. There is no free pass for COVID-19 fraud."
Starting in March of 2020, the suspects are accused of promising to deliver million of these masks, allegedly signing a contract in April for a mixture of N95s and three-ply SMS 3s.
The indictment does not name the Canadian buyer or provinces allegedly victimized. However, the case details, suspect names, and the dollar amount, all match those in an earlier civil suit. --->READ MORE HERE
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| Canva/Darren Baker |
Two New York residents are accused of conning a medical supply company out of millions of dollars in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Long Island resident Jonathan Cannon, age 58, of Miller Place, and Erie County resident Julie Dotton, age 51, of Orchard Park, are both charged with wire fraud in a complaint unsealed in Central Islip federal court on Thursday, May 2.
According to prosecutors, a Canadian company serving as an official provider of personal protective equipment paid Cannon and Dotton $8.2 million for surgical masks needed due to the pandemic.
In exchange, Dotton agreed to provide approximately 12 million face masks to the company, which then wired the $8.2 million payment to a purported third-party escrow agent’s bank account, prosecutors said.
Rather than use the funds to procure the masks, the couple transferred the money to a bank account controlled by Cannon, who dispersed it to various third parties for both defendants' benefit, according to investigators.
When the company demanded delivery of the masks, the couple reportedly made up excuses for not holding up their end of the deal, stringing the company along for months. --->READ MORE HEREFollow links below to relevant/related stories and resources:
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