A man who allegedly stole at least 200 surgical masks from a Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Nevada told federal authorities he was going to donate them to the homeless.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office District of Nevada, Peter Lucas, 35, was caught on video stealing the masks from the Ioannis A. Lougaris VA Medical Center in Reno on several different occasions between March 19 and March 23.
“Our military veterans served on the front lines to protect our country, and now our health professionals are doing the same in our fight against COVID-19,” said U.S. Attorney Nicholas A. Trutanich. “We will not allow the theft of personal protective equipment to go undeterred, endangering the safety of doctors, nurses, and other health professionals protecting our communities.”
In the video, Lucas is shown making off with at least four boxes of the masks. Each box contained at least 50 masks each. He can be seen snatching the boxes from a cart and hiding them under his jacket.
Lucas faces a charge of theft of health care property. If convicted, the maximum statutory penalty is one year in prison and a $100,000 fine.
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Reach Julia LeDoux at julia@connectingvets.com
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