A man from Texas has been jailed for a COVID-19 hoax he posted to societal media .
Christopher Charles Perez , aka Christopher Robbins , was doom to 15 months in prison for " jeopardise " messages he posted to Facebook . In the content , he claimed he had ante up someone taint with COVID-19 to lap items in grocery stores in the San Antonio area , in an seek to stop people from visiting those stores .
After moil into the case , the Federal Bureau of Investigation found that the threat was not credible : Perez had not pay anyone to bat grocery store items . Yet by claim he had , he broke law against spreading imitation information and hoaxes interrelate to biological weapons .
“ Those who would threaten to habituate COVID-19 as a weapon against others will be confine accountable for their action , even if the terror was a hoax , ” FBI San Antonio Division Special Agent in Charge Christopher Combssaid in a affirmation .
“ Perez ’s action were knowingly design to spread care and panic and today ’s sentencing illustrates the seriousness of this crime . "
As well as prison , Perez has been order to give a $ 1,000 fine for the dupery .
“ Trying to scare people with the threat of distribute dangerous disease is no joking matter , ” U.S. Attorney Ashley C. Hoff said , in a statement from the United States Attorney ’s Office . “ This part hold seriously terror to harm the community of interests and will pursue them to the full extent of the law . ”
Somewhat bizarrely , Perez is not the first to pass foul of the " no licking or peril to lick items in grocery fund " laws – withone incident involving ice creameven go on before the COVID-19 pandemic .
In the early stages of the pandemic , a gentleman in Missouri wascharged with make a terrorist threatafter he filmed himself puzzle out a pick of items in a Walmart , and mail the video publicly under the caption " I ’m a foul mother f—-r " .
He was charged with carrying out a terrorist threat in the 2d degree by the Warren County Prosecuting Attorney ’s Office , for an bit which " recklessly disregards the risk of causing the emptying , quarantine or block of any portion of a construction , substructure etc and wittingly … Communicates an express or implied terror to make an incident or status involve peril to life " .
