Tourists Accused of Trying to Bribe Their Way Into Hawaii

Louisiana couple didn't have negative COVID tests
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 19, 2021 7:12 AM CST
Tourists Accused of Trying to Bribe Their Way Into Hawaii
Better luck next time.   (Getty Images/Vadym Petrochenko)

If you're interested in visiting the Aloha State, you'll have to be OK with a 10-day quarantine when you first arrive, unless you've got COVID test results in hand confirming you tested negative within the past 72 hours. Two tourists allegedly thought they could get around those requirements of the Safe Travels Hawaii program with a little cash and some sweet talking, but authorities there didn't play ball. Citing a release from the state's attorney general and Department of Public Safety, NBC News reports that 29-year-old Johntrell White and 28-year-old Nadia Bailey were arrested Friday at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport after they flew in from Louisiana.

Officials say neither party had a COVID exemption or a negative test, and that White allegedly offered an airport screener $2,000 if she would let him pass without relegating him to the mandatory quarantine. Bailey then allegedly said she'd throw in an extra $1,000 if the screener let them both skip the 10-day isolation. The airport screener instead contacted the authorities, who promptly showed up at the airport and arrested the couple. After being booked and released, White and Bailey were then put on a plane back to the mainland. Those convicted of bribery in Hawaii could see up to 15 years behind bars, as well as a fine that could be up to three times the amount of the bribe offer, per the Washington Post. (More bribes stories.)

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