A Georgia man was charged with fraud after attempting to sell millions of nonexistent respirator masks to the government as it struggles to shore up supplies of vital medical equipment during the coronavirus pandemic, the authorities said.

The man, Christopher Parris, 39, of Atlanta, was arrested on Friday and charged with wire fraud in federal court in Washington, the Justice Department said in a statement.

Mr. Parris was accused of making a series of fraudulent misrepresentations to secure orders that would have totaled more than $750 million from the Department of Veterans Affairs for 125 million face masks and other personal protective equipment.

Mr. Parris promised that he could obtain “millions of genuine 3M masks” from domestic factories “when he knew that fulfilling the orders would not be possible,” the authorities said.