Feds: He Said He Had the Virus, Caused 'Distress'

A Fortune 500 company in Atlanta says it's out $100,000 because an ex-worker exploited the pandemic. Per a DOJ release, Santwon Antonio Davis, 34, is accused of defrauding the unnamed company by falsely claiming he had COVID-19 and fabricating medical records. The AP lays out the details of Davis' alleged scam, which started on March 19 when he claimed to supervisors at the company—which had told workers they'd get paid time off to quarantine if they tested positive—that his mother had been exposed to someone who had COVID-19, per an FBI agent's statement. Davis was told he was "low risk" and could still work, and his story soon started to evolve. Over the next few days, per the agent's statement, he first told a supervisor his mom had developed symptoms, then that she'd tested positive, then that he'd tested positive.

When the company asked for his test results, he allegedly sent over a phony medical letter, which the company suspected was fake. They kept asking for his test results, which he never sent; he was eventually fired. In the meantime, the company shut down on March 23 to clean, paying its employees during the shutdown. It also made four of Davis' co-workers quarantine and paid them during that time. "The defendant caused unnecessary economic loss to his employer and distress to his co-workers and their families," US Attorney Byung J. "BJay" Pak said in the release. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports Davis has spent nearly a year and a half in prison since 2006, per Georgia Department of Corrections records. His convictions include theft, and damage to property. Davis appeared in court Thursday and was granted bond, per court records. (More COVID-19 stories.)