Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
Travel agent Maurice Eugene Smith has pleaded guilty to wire fraud for his involvement in a Ponzi-style scheme involving multiple clients including the George Mason University men’s basketball team. Smith, who was based in Atlanta, is expected to get a reduced sentence as a result of his plea agreement with prosecutors.
Last August, it was reported that the George Mason University men’s basketball program had fallen victim to scam involving a Bahamas trip and a fake basketball tournament. The team was about to fly to the Bahamas when they learned that no hotels had been booked and there were no opponents for them to play.
The company which supposedly organized the tournament, The VII Group, issued an apology, writing, “We are deeply sorry for the inconvenience and disappointment this has caused. Our immediate focus is on making amends and working diligently to regain the confidence of the George Mason University Men’s Basketball program and its supporters.”
The VII Group blamed the lack of there being an actual tournament in the Bahamas on an “unforeseen outcome.” George Mason University had already paid The VII Group approximately $160,000 for the five-day, four-night trip to Nassau.
In December, Maurice Eugene Smith, 44, was arrested on charges of wire fraud. According to Sportico, Smith now must pay a $250,000 fine, provide full restitution to the George Mason University Foundation and his other victims, and forfeit any assets the court deems connected to the fraud.
Beginning in June 2023, George Mason’s basketball program began working with the VII Group—referred to as ‘Company A’ in court filings — to organize an international tour ahead of the upcoming season. The VII Group CEO Chris Williams, who knew Smith through a mutual contact, subcontracted Eugene Toriko to coordinate a multi-day trip to the Bahamas, including airfare, hotel accommodations, ground transportation and two exhibition games against local teams.
However, instead of paying to secure those reservations, Smith would later admit to using portion of the money to pay for his own trips to Tulum, Mexico, and Panama City — as well as approximately $12,000 in ATM withdrawals—and another portion to reimburse victims of his previous frauds.
Several other people, in addition to George Mason University, paid Eugene Toriko to book vacations. Instead, Maurice Eugene Smith used the money for vacations to Kenya, Italy and other locations. He is scheduled to be sentenced on July 17.
In December of 2024, The VII Group held its fifth annual Holiday Hoopsgiving men’s college basketball tournament. The company’s CEO, Chris Williams, when asked by Sportico if the tournament was a chance to redeem the company’s reputation, “There is no reputation to redeem, being that we are in good standing as a business.”