A Georgia man, formerly of New York, was sentenced to 244 months in prison for a nationwide Ponzi scheme and trying to sell false N95 masks during the pandemic.
Christopher A. Parris, 42, of Lawrenceville, Ga., and formerly of Rochester, N.Y., faces prison following his conviction for conspiracy to commit mail fraud related to a Ponzi scheme, in addition to wire fraud for the fraudulent sale of N95 masks during the pandemic, according to a Dec. 20 news release. Parris also was ordered to pay $1.6 million in restitution.
"The schemes for which this defendant was sentenced, including the purported sale of non-existent medical supplies during the pandemic were outrageous," Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department's Civil Division, said in the news release. "The Department of Justice will continue to work closely with its law enforcement partners to prosecute those responsible for these types of fraud."
Among other things, Parris operated a Ponzi scheme with his co-defendent, Perry Santillo, between January 2011 and June 2018, in which the two still owe their victims about $70.7 million, according to the news release. Santillo was sentenced to 210 months in prison.
"Christopher Parris, and his co-defendant Perry Santillo, engaged in an elaborate scheme to defraud hundreds of victims out of approximately $115 million dollars," U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross said in the news release. "These defendants went to great lengths to perpetuate their fraud and did so over a substantial period of time. This office, along with our law enforcement partners, committed significant resources to investigate this scheme, resulting in the prosecution of both Christopher Parris and Perry Santillo, who have now been sentenced to substantial periods of incarceration for victimizing their innocent clients in this Ponzi scheme."
In March 2021, Parris convinced the U.S. Veterans Administration to provide an upfront payment of more than $3 million in a sale of 125 million 3M N95 masks that he knew he could not provide, according to the news release.
"In addition, defendant Parris was also convicted for his part in a COVID-19 fraud scheme, during which he obtained approximately $7.4 million dollars by falsely purporting to have N95 masks, made in the United States, that he could sale to various medical companies, including the VA hospital, during the height of the pandemic," Ross added, according to the release.
Parris and Santillo's alleged crimes will not be tolerated and those who commit similar crimes "will be investigate and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Matthew M. Graves said in the news release.
"This defendant exploited a situation like none other in our recent history," Graves said, according to the release. "Fraud like this, playing off fears during a pandemic, merits a significant sentence, as the court imposed today. This sentence should be a warning to anyone who thinks they can get away with ripping off the government or others during a crisis."
