Women accused of coughing, saying they have coronavirus while stealing from Walgreens
Federal prosecutors have charged two women who are accused of stealing merchandise from a Walgreens store in San Francisco as they coughed and told a manager that they had COVID-19, the contagious respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus.
Carmelita Barela, 36, and Rosetta Shabazz, 32, both of San Francisco, have been charged with robbery affecting interstate commerce, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in San Francisco announced in a news release Friday.
On April 6, Barela and Shabazz entered the Walgreens near San Francisco’s Civic Center with empty shopping bags and without wearing masks. Prosecutors said the store manager offered them help, and Shabazz began coughing without covering her mouth.
The manager asked Shabazz to leave the store if she was sick. Then, Shabazz walked over to Barela, and both women began coughing audibly while taking merchandise from the shelves and placing the items in their shopping bags, according to the news release.
The manager then told the women to leave the store, and Barela and Shabazz said “We have COVID,” prosecutors said. The women continued coughing and left the store without paying for the merchandise.
Barela and Shabazz were arrested Thursday. Shabazz made her first court appearance Friday morning, and she was released to home confinement while awaiting prosecution. Barela is scheduled to make her first court appearance on Monday. The case against them is the result of an FBI investigation.
United States Attorney David L. Anderson said it’s an unfortunate reality that some will try to take advantage of the current pandemic by preying on he fear of contracting COVID-19.
“While many in our community can remain safe by sheltering in place, store managers and clerks are putting themselves out into the world for our benefit,” Anderson said in the news release. “They don’t deserve to be threatened and robbed. Everyone suffers from a crime like this.”
If convicted, the defendants can each face a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison and be ordered to pay a $250,000 and restitution, along with a term of supervised release, according to prosecutors.
This story was originally published April 24, 2020 at 5:43 PM.
