HOUSTON – A Houston man accused of scheming to fraudulently sell millions of N95 masks to the Australian government has pleaded guilty, according to a news release by the US Department of Justice.
In April 2020, officials said 56-year-old Arael Doolittle made an attempt to sell 50 million 3M N95 masks he did not have to the Australian government.
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Officials said Doolittle was supposed to receive $317 million for the masks, but the fraud scheme was discovered before the transaction could be finalized.
As a result, Doolittle was charged in connection with the pandemic-related fraud. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for Oct. 25.
Doolittle could face up to five years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 fine.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form.