Coast Guard Hunts Hoaxer Who Cost It $500K

Unamused after 28 mayday hoaxes
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jul 24, 2016 12:17 PM CDT
Coast Guard Hunts Hoaxer Who Cost It $500K
Members of the United States Coast Guard Academy class of 2018 carry ashore the shore power cable for the Coast Guard Barque Eagle during docking operations at City Pier in New London, Conn., Friday, Aug. 8, 2014.   (AP Photo/The Day, Sean D. Elliot)

The US Coast Guard says it's looking for a man who has cost the service about $500,000 after responding to nearly 30 of his fake distress calls, reports the AP. In a press release published Friday, the Coast Guard says the 28 calls have originated from around the area of Annapolis, Maryland. Each call involved the same male voice and used an emergency radio channel. He's been making the calls since July 2014. The two most recent calls were made on the night of July 21 and the early morning of July 22. “A hoax call is a deadly and serious offense,” a Coast Guard rep tells NBC4, which notes that such calls are a felony that carry six years in prison, $10,000 civil fine, $250,000 criminal fine, and reimbursement to the Coast Guard. "Calls like these not only put our crews at risk, but they put the lives of the public at risk.” (More Coast Guard stories.)

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