US Judge Charges Man With Terrorism for Coughing on Grocery Store Worker
Rabat – The attorney general of the US state of New Jersey charged a man with terrorism on March 24 for intentionally coughing on a grocery store worker and claiming to have the coronavirus.
On March 22, an employee at Wegmans, an American supermarket chain, asked 50-year-old shopper George Falcone to stand back, feeling as though he was too close to her.
In response, Falcone stepped closer to the employee, leaned in, and coughed on her, claiming to be infected with COVID-19.
New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal said spreading fear is unacceptable during the COVID-19 crisis.
“These are extremely difficult times in which all of us are called upon to be considerate of each other—not to engage in intimidation and spread fear,” Grewal said in a statement.
“We must do everything we can to deter this type of conduct and any similar conduct that harms others during this emergency.”
Grewal charged Falcone with terrorism in the third degree and obstructing the administration of law in the fourth degree, given the current coronavirus crisis.
The terrorism charge carries a sentence of three to five years in state prison, while the obstruction charge carries a sentence of up to 18 months.
The Governor of New Jersey, Phil Murphy, called Falcone a “knucklehead” during a press conference yesterday.
US President Donald Trump declared a national emergency on March 13 to improve the country’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time, the US had confirmed 1,701 cases of the virus.
Infections have since skyrocketed, and the US is currently the third most-infected country in the world after China and Italy with 60,162 total cases and 810 deaths.
On March 25, the White House and Senate leaders agreed on a groundbreaking $2 trillion stimulus package to combat the impact of COVID-19 on the national economy.
Source: https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2020/03/297531/us-judge-charges-man-with-terrorism-for-coughing-on-grocery-store-worker/
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