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A Brooklyn resident who was caught hoarding surgical masks, disinfectant and other essential medical supplies that are now in short stock because of COVID-19, coughed on police when confronted. He is now claiming to have been found positive of Coronavirus.
The U.S. Attorney’s office said the incident happened on Monday when authorities confronted Baruch Feldheim on suspicions of illegally price-gouging essential medical supplies.
Feldheim reportedly received a large shipment of face masks from Canada on March 25, two days earlier, a doctor said he met Feldheim at an auto repair shop to buy supplies from him. The doctor said he saw a large stockpile of medical supplies that could “outfit an entire hospital.” The doctor agreed to charge $12,000 for 1,000 masks which was an asinine 700% markup.
Just a week after the incident where the doctor was charged the premium, investigators say they saw multiple people approach Feldheim’s residence including a man who appeared to leave with medical supplies. Authorities did approach him and when they were close enough, Feldheim coughed in their direction.
“When the agents were within four to five feet of him, Feldheim allegedly coughed in their direction without covering his mouth. The agents then told him that they were looking for certain PPE materials and that they had information that Feldheim was in possession of large quantities of such materials. At that point, Feldheim told the FBI agents that he had the coronavirus,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office reported.
Officials also say Feldheim made statements that he worked for a company that purchased and sold PPE and that he never personally had the items in his possession. He’s been charged with assault and making false statements to law enforcement and could get upwards of five years in prison.
