An Atlanta-based travel agent has pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud after executing a Ponzi scheme against multiple clients, including the George Mason men's basketball program, according to a report from Sportico.
Maurice Eugene Smith entered a plea agreement in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia earlier this month. As part of the agreement, he will pay a $250,000 fine, provide full restitution to the George Mason University Foundation and other victims of the scheme, and agreed to forfeit any assets the court connects to the fraud. As a result of the plea agreement, prosecutors will recommend a reduced sentence for the wire fraud.
Smith was the travel agent tasked to assist George Mason with a men's basketball trip to the Bahamas in the summer of 2024. Hours before the program was scheduled to depart, officials with the basketball program realized the trip had never been booked. The trip was funded by the George Mason University Foundation, and expenses totaled over $160,000. An investigation by the FBI concluded that Smith used the funds from the foundation to pay for personal trips to Tulum, Mexico and Panama City. Smith also utilized ATM withdrawals with money collected from George Mason.
Smith was arrested on Dec. 12 of 2024. He will be sentenced in July.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Travel Agent Pleads Guilty After Defrauding George Mason Men's Basketball Program.
