A couple has allegedly faked multiple COVID-19 test results in order to delay their trial for drug possession and sale. They sent out positive COVID-19 test results to the court twice and altered the test date so that they could evade the trials set to happen. They are now charged with felony accounts of forgery and many other misdemeanors.
Forged positive test results to delay the trial
On Monday, Devon Lewis and Blair McDermott are charged after they faked their coronavirus infection test results. According to Suffolk County District Attorney Timothy Sini, the New York City couple forged multiple positive test results to delay Lewis' trial.
Attorney Sini noted that Lewis was set to trial on the sale and possession of heroin and cocaine. He said that it is reprehensible for someone to claim the deadly virus to avoid the consequences of the criminal actions he did.
Sent a photo of the document showing positive test results
The indictment said that Lewis sent a document photo to the court showing that McDermott tested positive with the coronavirus. Because of that, the trial got suspended. Lewis told the judge on October 1 that he and McDermott were in their Manhattan apartment quarantining.
The next week after that, he also sent another positive test result showing that McDermott contracted the deadly virus for the second time. In November, the trial finally resumed when Lewis got convicted.
Saying she was positive even though she tested negative
According to the district attorney's office, McDermott has altered the documents the couple submitted to the court. She stated she tested positive for the virus, although she had tested negative. Apart from that, she also changed the date of her initial test.
Investigators analyzed Lewis's phone, which led them to realize that they were not honest with the results they sent to the court. They found that the duo went to three states and traveled to different hotels when they should have been spending time at home quarantining.
The couple pleaded not guilty
Pleaded not guilty, Lewis was remanded without bail. McDermott also pleaded not guilty and got released on her recognizance.
Attorney Sini explained that what the couple did was "completely" a selfish act. He noted that the two attempted to subvert the criminal justice system senselessly and tried to delay the inevitable. Other than that, he also said that no one would be able to escape justice in Suffolk County.
He said that a criminal would surely get caught and will be persecuted for his wrongdoings.
