BOSTON — A federal jury in Boston Thursday convicted a Florida man for allegedly stealing money from over 300 families who signed up for a sports camp in 2019, instead using the money to pay for plastic surgery and “extravagant” Las Vegas vacations.
Mehdi Belhassan, 53, of Tampa, Florida was convicted of two counts of wire fraud for allegedly canceling an MB Sports baseball summer camp at Curry College and never refunding 303 families, the U.S. Attorney’s Office of Massachusetts said in a statement Friday. Belhassan also allegedly collected over $380,000 from families and a further $191,00 from an online payment company by forging the signature of a school official for a fraudulent contract.
In 2019, parents told Boston 25 News they were informed the MB Sports camp would relocate from Curry College to Northeastern University on short notice. But Northeastern University told Boston 25 News that sometime in spring it told MB Sports Camps its facilities were not available. And then some parents heard the camps would be held at Stonehill College in Easton — which also never occurred.
Chaurice Lewis told Boston 25 that she lost $965 dollars when she signed her son up for the camp and then didn’t hear back from Belhassan, the owner of MB Sports Camp.
“I’ve reached out via phone, responded to the e-mails – to the general e-mails and also to the owner – and both the times I just received an automated response,” she said.
Boston 25 News received no response to calls and texts to Belhassan’s cell phone. We also couldn’t reach him at an office where a co-worker confirmed he works.
“Mr. Belhassan preyed upon the trust of families, promising summer fun while plotting his own indulgence. He lured in, deceived and betrayed over 300 families – diverting hundreds of thousands of dollars not to the promised camps, but to personal pursuits like plastic surgery and extravagant vacations at Las Vegas casinos,” said Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy said in a statement Friday. “Today’s verdict is a testament to our office’s unwavering commitment to ensuring that those who exploit trust for personal gain are held accountable.”
“Mehdi Belhassan stole tens of thousands of dollars from hundreds of hard-working families across the country without a second thought, and with today’s conviction, he has been held accountable for lining his own pockets at their expense,” said Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division.
Each charge of wire fraud carries a sentence of up
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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