San Antonio Man Charged with Spreading COVID-19 Hoax

A federal complaint has been filed against a San Antonio man for perpetuating a hoax related to the COVID-19 outbreak. Christopher Charles Perez has been charged with one count of violating a US law which criminalizes false information and hoaxes related to weapons of mass destruction.

According to the Department of Justice press release, Perez posted a threat on Facebook claiming that he paid someone to spread the coronavirus at grocery stores in the San Antonio area. Perez claimed he was attempting to deter people from visiting the grocery stores to help stop the virus’s spread.

A screenshot of Perez’s post was submitted to an online tip portal with the Southwest Texas Fusion Center. The center contacted the FBI for further investigation, which determined that the threat was false and no one had attempted to spread the virus through San Antonio grocery stores.

The FBI arrested Perez late Tuesday without incident and he remains in federal custody. Perez faces up to five years in federal prison. The FBI’s Weapons of Mass Destruction Squad and the Joint Terrorism Task Force are investigating this case.

The Justice Department encourages those who suspect they or their family are victims of a coronavirus related scam or attempted fraud to contact the National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or by email at disaster@leo.gov. Cyber scams can also be submitted through www.ic3.gov.