She faked negative COVID test to get to Virgin Islands, cops say. Now she’s in jail

An Alabama woman is behind bars in the U.S. Virgin Islands after she violated COVID-19 safety measures put in place by island authorities.

According to Virgin Islands police, 41-year-old Franketa Taylor, of Birmingham, uploaded fake negative COVID-19 test results into the island’s online travel portal, The Virgin Islands Consortium reported.

The USVI Travel Portal is intended to screen visitors for coronavirus, and people traveling to the islands are required to submit a negative test result within five days of their arrival, WIAT reported.

Taylor is the seventh person charged after submitting altered or fake test results into the portal, the Virgin Islands Daily News reported. She is facing four charges, including fraudulent claims upon the government, use of false information, access to a computer for fraudulent purposes, and filing or recording forged instruments.

Her bail was set at $5,500, which she has been unable to pay, outlets report. She is in Bureau of Corrections custody pending an advisement hearing.

Earlier this month, a Texas woman was also arrested for submitting altered test results, according to a VIPD release. She was also wanted by Texas authorities for violating probation, police said.

This story was originally published April 23, 2021 at 3:17 PM with the headline "She faked negative COVID test to get to Virgin Islands, cops say. Now she’s in jail."