For UH’s Sampson, ‘It’s not just coaching basketball anymore.’

Two Houstonmen have been charged in a scheme to sell 50 million N95 masks — which they did not possess — to a foreign government for more than $300 million, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Paschal Ngozi Eleanya, 46, and Arael Doolittle, 55, both face charges of conspiracy and wire fraud after a federal grand jury returned a three-count indictment against them Thursday, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office Southern District of Texas.

The respiratory masks, like other personal protective equipment, have become essential yet scarce during the coronavirus pandemic, a predicament that fraudsters and swindlers across the country have used to their advantage.

Eleanya turned himself in Tuesday and is scheduled to appear in court at 2 p.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sam Sheldon. Doolittle, who was taken into custody on Friday, is scheduled for an arraignment and detention hearing Wednesday morning, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.

According to the indictment, the the two men attempted to defraud a foreign government of $317 million for the massive supply of N95 respirator masks that turned out to be non-existent. They negotiated a price five times that of the mask company’s public list price. The two men expected to personally obtain up to $275 million in the scam, the indictment says.

The foreign government wired the funds, but authorities interrupted the transfer before it was complete, the U.S. attorney’s office said.

The Secret Service conducted the investigation into the fraudulent scheme.

The men could face up to five years in prison for conspiracy and 20 years in prison for each count of wire fraud if convicted. Each charge carries an additional $250,000 maximum fine.

Anyone who detects fraud, price-gouging or hoarding should report it to a national hotline at (866) 720-5721.