A 56-year-old Houston man has pleaded guilty to a scheme to fraudulently sell 50 million N95 masks to the Australian government, the U.S. Justice Department said July 27.
In early April 2020, Arael Doolittle attempted to sell 50 million 3M N95 masks that he didn't actually have to the Australian government. The government was set to pay more than $317 million for the masks, but authorities disrupted the sale before it was complete, the Justice Department said.
Mr. Doolittle is set for sentencing Oct. 25, and he faces up to five years in prison and a possible $250,000 fine.
Read the Justice Department's full news release here.