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A man in California was arrested Tuesday in a sting after he was caught trying to sell hundreds of protective masks during the coronavirus crisis at "price-gouging prices," according to police.
The Baldwin Park Police Department said on Facebook that officers received a tip about a man selling N95 respirator masks through a classified website for $300 a box.
The masks are a vital piece of safety gear that many health care professionals lack due to supply shortages during the COVID-19 outbreak.
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After investigators met with the seller -- identified as 30-year-old Johnwill Baldonado of Covina -- they purchased a box of N95 masks for $300.
Baldonado was then arrested on suspicion of price-gouging after the sale, police said.
A man in California was arrested after allegedly selling a box of N95 respirators for $300, according to police. (Baldwin Park Police Department)
Upon further investigation, officers found 21 boxes containing a total of 420 N95 respirators.
"During a state of emergency the law prohibits charging a price that is more than 10 percent what an item cost before the state declaration of emergency," police said.
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Baldwin Park Police Department Chief Steven McLean told CBS LA that Baldonado said he was not working and had fallen on hard times.
“When he got arrested, he was embarrassed, but he felt he was doing what he had to, to take care of his family,” McLean told the television station. “I get it, but you’re not going to do it at the expense of an entire community.”
Feds seize, then distribute thousands of masks and other medical supplies
The Justice Department and Department of Health and Human Services are behind the distribution of nearly 200,000 N95 respirator masks and other medical supplies to New York and New Jersey after seizing them from black market sellers.
The coronavirus pandemic has led to several arrests of individuals nationwide for allegedly stealing and hoarding medical supplies.
The public safety director at the New Orleans convention center that was transformed into a makeshift hospital for coronavirus patients was arrested Friday for allegedly stealing dozens of masks meant for medical workers.
A man in New York City was arrested in March for allegedly hoarding masks and then coughing on FBI agents who were investigating.
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As of Thursday, there are 19,031 cases of COVID-19 in California with at least 507 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.
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