Illinois businessman convicted of price-gouging N95 masks during early weeks of pandemic

CHICAGO (AP) — An Illinois businessman has been convicted of price-gouging on N95 masks during the early weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Chicago Sun-Times reports that 62-year-old Krikor Topouzian of Winnetka was convicted Thursday in federal court following a bench trial. He could face up to a year in prison when he is sentenced Oct. 10. Prosecutors accused Topouzian of buying about 80,000 N95 masks in March and April of 2020 for about $5 per mask and then selling them for about $20 per mask. The masks had been labeled “scarce materials” during the pandemic as part of the Defense Production Act. He boasted about making as much as $80,000 per day.