Texas man sentenced to 15 months in prison for posting Covid-19 hoax on social media
Source: CNN
(snip)
Evidence showed Christopher Charles Perez, 40, posted two threatening messages on Facebook in April 2020, falsely claiming he paid someone infected with Covid-19 to "lick items at grocery stores in the San Antonio area to scare people away" from the businesses, the US Attorney's Office in the Western District of Texas said in a news release Monday.
Perez was found guilty of two counts for violating a federal law that criminalizes false information and hoaxes related to biological weapons, prosecutors said. The Southwest Texas Fusion Center (SWTFC) received an online tip on April 5, 2020, of a screenshot of the post, and the FBI in San Antonio investigated the matter, according to the news release.
"The threat was false. Perez did not pay someone to intentionally spread coronavirus at grocery stores, according to investigators and Perez's own admissions," prosecutors said in the news release.
(SNIP)
Perez's fabricated social media posts came at a time when Covid-19 had just begun widely spreading in the US -- shutting down many non-essential businesses and upending life across the country and around the globe.In addition to the 15-month prison sentence, Perez must also pay a $1,000 fine, prosecutors said.
Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/06/us/texas-man-sentenced-covid-hoax/index.html
sheshe2
(83,746 posts)Texas hates vaccinations Wonder how long it will take him to catch Covid in prison.
He can lick some items in prison for fun.
usaf-vet
(6,181 posts)reACTIONary
(5,770 posts)lostnfound
(16,173 posts)Damage to people does not seem to matter as much.
Im amazed, 15 months.
wnylib
(21,431 posts)prosecuted for hurting those businesses. If he had spread covid to people deliberately, without directly harming businesses, he probably would not have faced any charges.
Grins
(7,212 posts)How much did those businesses lose ?
SCantiGOP
(13,869 posts)15 months for this, compared to home detention or a few weeks in jail for storming the Capitol, does not seem right.
Mickju
(1,803 posts)So this is worse than participating in an insurrection. What a screwed up justice system we have.
IronLionZion
(45,427 posts)and deplorable
BlueJac
(7,838 posts)Effete Snob
(8,387 posts)In other words, he should have paid someone to do that. Then, he could not be convicted of falsely reporting it.
ffr
(22,669 posts)you get 45 days of house arrest? And it takes nearly a year for the legal system to catch up to you and your 'overthrow the govment' leaders are still running around free as a bird and their congressional members are still allowed to form policy about the punishments given for trying to overthrow the govment...
Our legal system needs an overhaul and soon!
Snackshack
(2,541 posts)Justice system is capable of working
.
bucolic_frolic
(43,128 posts)Hydroxychloroquine, bleach, UV light come to mind.
Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin
(107,920 posts)Last edited Thu Oct 7, 2021, 02:08 PM - Edit history (1)