San Antonio man sentenced to 15 months in federal prison for COVID-19 hoax

SAN ANTONIO - A San Antonio man who claimed he paid someone to spread COVID-19 at grocery stores was sentenced on Monday.

A federal judge sentenced Christopher Charles Perez, 40, to 15 months in federal prison after being found guilty of two counts of spreading false information and hoaxes relating to biological weapons.

Evidence showed that Perez posted two threatening messages on Facebook where he claimed he paid someone who was infected with COVID-19 to lick items at grocery stores in the San Antonio area to scare people into not visiting those stores.

On Apr. 5, 2020, a screenshot of one of the posts was sent toSouthwest Texas Fusion Center, who then contacted the FBI. Investigators found that the threat was false and Perez admitted to the hoax.

“Trying to scare people with the threat of spreading dangerous diseases is no joking matter,” said U.S. Attorney Ashley C. Hoff. “This office takes seriously threats to harm the community and will prosecute them to the full extent of the law.”

Perez was also ordered to pay a $1,000 fine.

“Those who would threaten to use COVID-19 as a weapon against others will be held accountable for their actions, even if the threat was a hoax,” said FBI San Antonio Division Special Agent in Charge Christopher Combs. “Perez’s actions were knowingly designed to spread fear and panic and today’s sentencing illustrates the seriousness of this crime. The FBI would like to thank our law enforcement partners for their help in this case.”