• Loading stock data...
Thursday, September 18, 2025

Travel Agent Pleads Guilty To Scamming George Mason Men’s Basketball

A travel agent admitted to pocketing $160,000 from George Mason men’s basketball as part of a long-running college sports Ponzi scheme.

George Mason
Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

A travel agent who conned George Mason’s men’s basketball team has pleaded guilty to a single count of wire fraud.

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, who could have served as many as 20 years behind bars if he were found guilty in a trial. 

In August 2024, George Mason’s men’s team was slated to depart for a summer trip to the Bahamas when school officials realized there was no itinerary despite the school’s foundation paying $160,000 for it. Federal authorities arrested Smith in December after 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. 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.

In his plea agreement— filed April 1—Smith admitted to using client funds for personal expenses and to repay other victims instead of providing the travel services he was hired to. His crimes took place over a three-year span from 2022 to 2024. 

Before confessing his guilt, Smith previously called the George Mason unplanned trip a “logistical error.” He also told law enforcement that he would repay Mason through an insurance policy he later admitted he never had. 

George Mason wasn’t the only school caught up in Smith’s Ponzi scheme. 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. 

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’s athletics department declined to comment. 

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Valkyries Debut Season Sets Stage for Free-Agent Buzz

The Valkyries were eliminated in the first round on Wednesday.
Baseball

NCAA Settles With Volunteer Baseball Coaches for $49 Million

A similar suit brought by volunteer coaches of other sports remains open.
Brian Flores

Brian Flores Says NFL Arbitrator Is Stalling in Discrimination Case

A new filing says the arbitrator has done nothing for a year.
Adriunna Brown

Business Is Booming for WNBA’s Top Beauty Pros

A network of stylists is shaping how players look, feel, and perform.

Featured Today

Premier Lacrosse League

‘The Circus Is Coming to Town’: Why Upstart Leagues Start on Tour

In their ambitious plans, a traveling schedule is only temporary.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 19: A detailed view of the MLB Debut patch on the jersey of Patrick Monteverde #44 of the Miami Marlins prior to game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on April 19, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
September 13, 2025

The Tiny Jersey Patch at the Center of the MLB Rookie Card..

Autographed cards containing a piece of baseball history have upended the market.
September 11, 2025

Eagles-Chiefs Super Bowl Rematch Could Set More NFL Ratings Records

Fox will nationally televise Sunday afternoon’s matchup.
September 10, 2025

ESPN’s ‘MNF’ Ratings Up 8% As NFL Surges to Strong Start

ESPN posts its second-best Week 1 “Monday Night Football” audience.
Sep 13, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Hurricanes running back Mark Fletcher Jr. (4) carries the football against South Florida Bulls cornerback Ben Knox (1) during the third quarter at Hard Rock Stadium.

NCAA Eliminates Spring Transfer Portal Window

The change is aimed at curbing the system of “unrestricted free agency.”
Sep 12, 2025; Pasadena, California, USA; New Mexico Lobos quarterback Jack Layne (2) reacts after his team scored a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the UCLA Bruins at Rose Bowl.
September 15, 2025

UCLA Paid New Mexico $1.2 Million for Friday’s Loss: Payout Game Tracker

The Bruins weren’t the only Power-4 school to lose a buy game and fire their coach.
Sep 13, 2025; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide running back AK Dear (0) tries to outrun Wisconsin Badgers cornerback Ricardo Hallman (2) during the second half at Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
September 16, 2025

Despite Vote Delay, SCORE Act Negotiations Continue on Capitol Hill

Political ad campaigns during college football Saturdays continue as well.
Sponsored

How World Series Champ Dexter Fowler Became a Premier League Team Owner

Dexter Fowler discusses navigating retirement and embracing new roles as an owner & investor.
Sep 12, 2025; Pasadena, California, USA; UCLA Bruins quarterback Nico Iamaleava (9) looks to pass during the first quarter against the New Mexico Lobos at Rose Bowl.
September 15, 2025

UCLA-Tennessee QB Trade Has Been Painful So Far

Iamaleava abruptly left Tennessee for UCLA this past offseason.
September 14, 2025

College Football’s Costly Start for Virginia Tech, UCLA: Coaches Out

UCLA and Virginia Tech fire their coaches while Notre Dame slumps badly.
Mar 4, 2025; Washington, DC, USA; House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., speaks with Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene, R-Ga., ahead of President Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on March 4, 2025.
September 11, 2025

House Republicans Delay SCORE Act Vote Tentatively Planned for Next Week

They didn’t believe they had enough votes to pass the bill.
Jan 25, 2023; Langley, British Columbia, CAN; Highlights from the CHL Kubota Top Prospects game at the Langley Events Centre
September 10, 2025

NCAA Hockey Scouts Denied Passes for Crucial Recruiting League

The CHL won’t welcome scouts on passes: “It comes across as petty.”