A Brooklyn man became the first person to be arrested under New York City’s ban on nonessential gatherings and businesses during the coronavirus pandemic after he allegedly operated an underground bar.
Vasil Pando, 56, was arrested over the weekend after authorities said they received 311 calls reporting that people were gathering at the Miami II Sport Cafe, which is owned by Pando. The first complaint came in at about 5:15 p.m. on Saturday, with another coming a few hours later at 10:30 p.m.
When police arrived, officers said they found at least a dozen people drinking and gambling inside the facility, which had been converted into a speakeasy of sorts. Officers said the cafe appeared to be closed from the outside.
Pando was arrested on a slew of charges, with police noting that the facility didn’t have a New York state liquor license to serve alcohol. Pando was booked on charges of an unlicensed bottle club, reckless endangerment, illegal sale of alcohol, promoting gambling, and criminal nuisance.
New York City has so far had more than 36,000 cases of COVID-19 and almost 800 deaths. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo asked for help in combating the outbreak on Monday and appealed to healthcare professionals across the country to come to the state to help.
“If you are not busy, come help us, please, and we will return the favor. We will return the favor,” he said, later adding, “The New York way is to be helpful.”
There have been about 160,000 cases of the coronavirus and almost 3,000 deaths in the United States since the pandemic began, according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker.
