The N95 Reaper Face Mask Crisis: How America's Largest Supplier of Personal Protective Equipment Can Meet Demand

The state of California signed a nearly $800 million non-competitive contract for 400 million 3-ply surgical masks and 200 million face shields with bare-mountain development. A man named Christopher Cheer-Cheo, who was just accorded by a jury on a plumbing-related bid-rigging case, had the opportunity to buy and sell the mask in shields. Unbeknownst to each other, Smuchler, Russo, Curland, and Cheer-cheo were all skimming off the top for their personal use. They bought yachts and sports cars, flew private, and paid country club dues.