Naples partners get 15 months for COVID-19 glove fraud  

Naples business partners who defrauded a medical supply company during the COVID-19 pandemic have each been sentenced to 15 months in federal prison for stealing $536,200 and spending it on themselves. 

U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell on Oct. 19 sentenced John P. “JP” Skubinski, 55, and Melvin A. Slawik Jr., 68, to 15 months in prison, followed by two years of supervised release, for their roles in a wire fraud scheme. 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Yolande Viacava told the judge they “stole $536,200,” spent it on themselves and never planned to supply medical gloves during the pandemic. “They had him wire it very quickly, and they spent it very quickly,” Viacava said of victim Peter Kennedy, one of three partners in Medicability. 

The judge ordered the men to reimburse Tallahassee-based Medicability, ordered forfeiture of $536,200 and set restitution at $511,200, the amount remaining after Skubinski paid $25,000 in 2024 following a lawsuit and judgment against him. The two were indicted in February 2025. Last week, Slawik deposited $9,000 into a court registry to begin paying restitution. 

Skubinski, whose family also faces eviction and other civil judgments, filed for bankruptcy protection. It’s not his first fraud conviction. He served probation after being convicted of wire fraud in 1996 and repaid more than $19,000 to 26 victims. 

State records show the partners incorporated Blue Hill Buffalo Consulting as a limited liability company in April 2019 and Florida Sanitizer Group a year later, along with numerous other LLCs. The prosecutor noted that after they were indicted, they transferred their beverage company, Hula Hai, to their wives’ names. 

Court records show Medicability was involved in an agreement to supply Cleveland Clinic with a large quantity of nitrile gloves, which were in demand worldwide during the pandemic, leading to severe supply shortages, skyrocketing wholesale prices and reliance on overseas manufacturers. After a supplier fell through, Kennedy found Blue Hill Buffalo Consulting and began discussions with Skubinski in July 2020, and later with both men, by phone and WhatsApp. 

Skubinski demanded immediate payment by wire transfer to secure 38,300 boxes of nitrile gloves. He claimed he had a shipment in U.S. Customs in Los Angeles and Miami, and both men assured Medicability that the first shipment released by Customs would fill its order. As a result, Medicability wired $536,200 on July 30, 2020, but the gloves were never delivered, and the company had to close its business. 

The indictment said the men “fraudulently converted and misappropriated monies” for personal use and made “fraudulent and misleading lulling representations” to Medicability about U.S. Customs. In April, Skubinski pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud, while Slawik pleaded guilty to the conspiracy charge. They faced 15 to 21 months in federal prison under sentencing guidelines and up to three years of supervised release. 

But defense attorneys Doug Molloy and George Ellis Summers Jr. asked for supervised release instead of prison. Summers said it would be punishment enough if Skubinski served home detention. The prosecutor urged the judge to sentence them to 15 months in prison. 

Viacava read a statement by Kennedy, who said the fraud occurred “during the early and most frightening days of the pandemic. … Equipment was scarce and lives depended on it.” 

He said the men “insisted on payment in full” before delivery and “they never delivered a single glove … leaving my partners and me to deal with the consequences of their theft.” 

In addition to the loss, he said, they had to pay more than $60,000 in attorney’s fees to sue the men and Blue Hill Buffalo Consulting. The prosecutor noted Skubinski sold a 2023 Lamborghini but didn’t pay more restitution. 

Slawik apologized, saying they never should have made the deal and he’d “make things right” and “work hard on” paying restitution. Skubinski admitted his actions were “inexcusable and I’m ashamed of myself and what I did to Medicability.” He promised to dedicate his life to making them whole again. 

Skubinski’s son and wife tearfully asked the judge to let him serve his sentence at home, saying he was the breadwinner. The prosecutor disputed that argument, noting the son is a real estate agent. 

“It’s very unfortunate that family members have to come to court,” Chappell said. “They aren’t the ones who did the crime … but it is they who have to endure the loss … and have to pay for it.” 

The judge cited the seriousness of the crime, noting it occurred during the pandemic, when people couldn’t leave their homes and many died alone in hospitals. She said gloves were important to many people, including healthcare workers and patients. 

“It was just a ruse to get the $536,200,” Chappell told the men, adding that the sentence must protect others from future crimes. “Each of you continued to dabble in future ventures … and buy nice things … but you did so on the backs of others.” 

She allowed Slawik, who has medical issues, to surrender on Nov. 21 but declined to allow Skubinski to turn himself in on Jan. 3, giving him until Dec. 18. She also added mental health and gambling therapy, if available, to his sentence.