Man Faces Federal Charges for Falsely Claiming He Had COVID-19 When Arrested

A Cleveland man has been charged in Federal Court with False Information and Hoaxes, after falsely claiming that he had coronavirus, when being arrested. The Cleveland man was arrested by Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority police, on an open parole violation warrant. Upon being arrested, he claimed to have trouble breathing due to having coronavirus. He then coughed in the faces of arresting officers, who took him to the hospital. While at the hospital, the man then spit on officers and hospital personnel. It was later determined that the man had never been tested for coronavirus. The officers and hospital staff later tested negative for the virus. The man now faces a penalty of up to five years in federal prison.