Two Naples Men Get 15 Months for Selling $536,200 in Pandemic Gloves They Never Had

Published Oct. 28, 2026. Case statuses are current as of that date.

In the summer of 2020, medical gloves were scarce and buyers were desperate. That made the pitch easy: we have the gloves, they're in a warehouse, and they ship as soon as you pay. Federal prosecutors in Fort Myers say two Naples men made exactly that promise, took more than half a million dollars, and never shipped a single box.

John P. Skubinski, 55, of Naples, and Melvin A. Slawik Jr., 68, of Naples, have each been sentenced to 15 months in federal prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida announced on Oct. 19, 2026 [1]. The court also entered a forfeiture order for $536,200.

Important: Both men pleaded guilty and have been sentenced. The person they defrauded is not named in the release, and we don't name them.

How the scheme worked, step by step

According to court documents, as described by the U.S. Attorney's Office [1]:

1. The company. In 2020, Skubinski and Slawik owned and operated Blue Hill Buffalo Consulting, LLC, in Collier County, Florida.
2. The buyer. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the victim was looking for a vendor to supply nitrile gloves to the Cleveland Clinic.
3. The false promise. Skubinski and Slawik falsely said Blue Hill Buffalo had the gloves in a warehouse and could fill the order as soon as the money was paid. They knew they didn't have the gloves.
4. The contract. They drafted a contract to get the victim to pay. Signed July 29, 2020, it falsely said Blue Hill Buffalo would deliver 38,300 boxes of nitrile exam gloves, 200 per box, to the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio, after the victim paid $536,200.
5. The wire. On July 30, 2020, the victim wired the money to Blue Hill Buffalo's bank account.
6. The excuses. The gloves never arrived. Instead, the two men offered false excuses about delays.

Bank records showed that Skubinski and Slawik used the victim's money to fund their own lifestyle and pay their expenses, prosecutors said [1]. The release doesn't suggest the Cleveland Clinic did anything wrong; it was where the gloves were supposed to go.

The people convicted and their status

John P. Skubinski, 55, of Naples, Fla. Pleaded guilty April 30, 2026. Sentenced by U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell to 15 months in federal prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud [1].

Melvin A. Slawik Jr., 68, of Naples, Fla. Pleaded guilty April 30, 2026. Sentenced by Judge Chappell to 15 months in federal prison for the same offenses [1].

As part of the sentence, the court entered a forfeiture order of $536,200, the proceeds of the wire fraud. The release does not separately mention restitution or supervised release. The FBI investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Yolande G. Viacava prosecuted, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie A. Simonsen handled forfeiture [1].

Why this is still relevant

The pandemic glove rush is over, but the playbook isn't. Any time a product is suddenly in short supply, whether it's medical supplies, baby formula, generators after a storm, or popular trading cards before a release, fake suppliers show up promising stock "in a warehouse" and asking for full payment up front. Small businesses, brokers and nonprofits are frequent targets, because they often buy from vendors they've never worked with before.

Red flags

These are general warning signs of this kind of scheme; not every one is alleged in this case.

• A brand-new supplier claiming large stock of something everyone else is out of.
• Demands for full payment by wire before shipment, with no escrow or letter of credit.
• No way to inspect the goods or verify the warehouse.
• A company with no track record in the product it's selling. Here, the seller was a consulting firm.
• Repeated excuses about delays after the money is sent.

What to do if you're targeted

1. Verify the supplier independently: check state business records, ask for references you can call, and confirm any claimed relationship with the manufacturer directly.
2. Avoid paying 100% up front. Use escrow, staged payments, or payment on delivery and inspection.
3. Ask for proof of inventory you can verify, such as a third-party inspection.
4. If you've wired money, call your bank immediately and ask it to try to recall the wire, then report it to the FBI at ic3.gov.
5. Report fraud to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and to your state attorney general.

Case status (as of Oct. 28, 2026)

Defendant	Court	Status	Source
John P. Skubinski, 55, of Naples, Fla.	U.S. District Court, M.D. Fla. (Judge Sheri Polster Chappell)	Pleaded guilty April 30, 2026; sentenced to 15 months (announced Oct. 19, 2026); $536,200 forfeiture order	[1]
Melvin A. Slawik Jr., 68, of Naples, Fla.	Same	Pleaded guilty April 30, 2026; sentenced to 15 months (announced Oct. 19, 2026); $536,200 forfeiture order	[1]

Statuses can change.

Sources

1. U.S. Attorney's Office, Middle District of Florida, "Two Collier County Men Sentenced to 15 Months in Federal Prison for Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud and Wire Fraud," Oct. 19, 2026. https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdfl/pr/two-collier-county-men-sentenced-15-months-federal-prison-conspiracy-commit-wire-fraud

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