DOTHAN, Ala. – An Alabama woman has been charged with submitting an altered COVID test to the territory’s online travel portal, according to a statement released Thursday night by the Virgin Islands Police Department.
Franketa A. Taylor, of Birmingham, is facing charges of fraudulent claims upon the government, access to a computer for fraudulent purposes, use of false information, and filing or recording forged instruments. Taylor submitted an altered negative COVID-19 test result into the travel portal, the statement said.
Bail for Taylor was set at $5,500, which she was unable to post. She was turned over to the Bureau of Corrections pending her advice-of-rights hearing.
Taylor is the seventh person to be charged with entering an altered or forged COVID-19 test in the travel portal, which is intended to screen incoming travelers for illness to prevent the spread of the virus. Users of the online travel portal must acknowledge a statement that they could face prosecution if they knowingly submit false information to the government.
