A New Jersey used car dealer was criminally charged on Tuesday with exploiting the coronavirus pandemic by trying to defraud and price gouge New York City into buying N95 respirator masks he was not authorized to sell, in a roughly $45 million scheme.
FILE PHOTO: Various N95 respiration masks at a laboratory of 3M, which has been contracted by the U.S. government to produce extra masks in response to the country's novel coronavirus outbreak, in Maplewood, Minnesota, U.S. March 4, 2020. REUTERS/Nicholas Pfosi/File Photo
Prosecutors said the Manalapan, New Jersey, resident created a bogus letter falsely showing that 3M Co authorized the sale. Prosecutors said Romano’s intentions were clear from a March 9 text to an accomplice: “I’m working on a few deals that if I get any of them you might be buying a Ferrari.” Mark Macron, a lawyer for Romano, declined immediate comment. Romano faces wire fraud and two conspiracy charges. Two counts carry maximum 30-year prison terms.
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