Pennsylvania Woman Sentenced To Jail For Coughing On $35K Supermarket Goods

A Pennsylvania woman who spat and coughed on food in a grocery store last year was sentenced to jail time Tuesday.

Margaret Ann Cirko, 37, was sentenced to one to two years in jail. In addition to the jail time, the judge ordered her to pay a $30,000 fine and will need to undergo mental health, drug, and alcohol evaluations. 

“I wish I could take it back,” Cirko told the court. 

In March of last year, Cirko went into a Gerrity’s Supermarket at the very beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and started screaming, “I have the virus. Now everyone is going to get sick.” She began coughing and spitting on food and merchandise, costing the store about $35,000.

Her lawyers maintain that she suffered from mental health issues and was drunk at the time. The attorney argued she tested negative for coronavirus following her arrest. 

Cirko pleaded guilty in June to a second-degree felony charge of weapons of mass destruction.