Man Who Faked $200M Donation to FAMU Claims He “Might” Make a Real Contribution Someday
Do you remember Gregory Gerami? The man who made headlines earlier this year for faking a $237 million donation to Florida A&M University? Well, he’s back and says that another “donation” may occur in the future.
Gerami is addressing the incident and is adamant about not making another expensive promise to a school, according to The Sun News.
“Heck no, you think I’m crazy? No,” he stated.
Despite his firm response, Gerami seemingly backtracked, saying he would present a direct form of payment and stray away from being in the spotlight.
“I might. In the future, I may just cut a straight check, not stock or anything like that, and just cut a straight check. But I wouldn’t want to be in the limelight, though.”
To catch you up, in September 2023, Gerami first contacted the university’s foundation director, Audrey Simmons-Smith, with hopes of making a “substantial” donation to the school. Following their initial conversation, Gerami allegedly sent Smith links to online articles that supposedly proved his wealth. The information was sufficient enough that FAMU decided to forego a thorough background check.
As a result, Gerami announced the large donation at the university’s May 2024 spring commencement ceremony. By then, the promised $20 million had grown to over $200 million, raising no immediate suspicion among school officials. However, it took no time for speculations regarding the donation to circulate. Reporters and internet investigators began looking into Gerami’s history, which lacked verifiable information explaining his wealth.
Blindsided by the revelation, FAMU board members called a special meeting to address the issue as it had started to become major news, damaging their reputation. FAMU later hired their own investigation team and discovered that the donation was completely false. The report also showed that due to the school’s lack of research and their trust in Gerami, the entire ordeal cost them $2,700 for airfare for Gerami and a guest, $1,800 for his hotel accommodations, $9,000 on private security, and nearly $78,000 on the investigation itself.
Still, Gerami has maintained the donation was legit.
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