Travel agent admits to scamming $160,000 from George Mason basketball
George Mason Men’s Basketball was the victim of stealing, and we’re not talking about the hardwood. According to Alex Schiffer of Front Office Sports, a travel agent has pleaded guilty to a single count of wire fraud after conning the team out of $160,000.
“A travel agent who conned George Mason’s men’s basketball team has pleaded guilty to a single count of wire fraud,” Schiffer reported. “Maurice Eugene Smith entered a plea agreement in Virginia federal court in which he agreed to pay a $250,000 fine in addition to full restitution to the George Mason University Foundation and other victims. (The scheme encompassed other schools.)
“In exchange, federal prosecutors recommended a reduced sentencing on July 17 for Smith. He could have served as many as 20 years behind bars if he were found guilty in a trial.”
Evidently, the situation stems from when the George Mason men’s team was slated to depart for a summer trip to the Bahamas in August of 2024, per Schiffer. That’s when school officials realized there was no itinerary, despite the school’s foundation paying $160,000 for it. Later, federal authorities would arrest Smith in December following an investigation.
“A year before the planned trip, the Patriots basketball team contacted VII Group to help book an international trip ahead of the upcoming basketball season, according to court documents,” Front Office Sports reported. “VII Group CEO Chris Williams subcontracted Smith through a mutual friend to coordinate a trip to the Bahamas that included airfare, hotel bookings, ground travel and two scrimmages against local teams. Smith estimated to the program that the trip would cost around $150,000.
“Smith never followed through. He later confessed to using part of the money the school’s foundation paid him to pay for personal trips to Mexico and Panama City in addition to using $12,000 in ATM withdrawals. He also paid to reimburse previous victims—the quintessential structure of a Ponzi scheme.”
Smith admitted to using client funds for personal expenses and to repay other victims instead of providing the travel services he was hired to in his plea agreement, which was filed on April 1, according to Schiffer. Additionally, his crimes took place over a three-year span, 2022 to 2024.
Additionally, the travel agent tried to save his behind before confessing his guilt by calling the George Mason unplanned trip a “logistical error,” per FOS. “He also told law enforcement that he would repay Mason through an insurance policy he later admitted he never had.”
Alas, George Mason isn’t the only school who got caught up in Smith’s Ponzi scheme either: “He owes restitution to Georgia Gwinnett College for a study abroad trip to Thailand and also Reinhardt University in Georgia for help with its baseball team traveling to Louisiana for a tournament,” Schiffer reported.
“Smith got the deal with Reinhardt because its athletic director was his college roommate. Despite the relationship, he failed to book the travel for the program and later admitted to using some of the money from George Mason to pay the school back.”
George Mason University declined to comment when pressed by Front Office Sports. Everything’s out in the open now though. We’ll see if any more information comes to light on the scheme that certainly had an effect on the Patriots.
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