Woman who lied about spreading HIV charged with misdemeanour

AMERICUS, Ga. – Police say a Georgia woman has been charged with a misdemeanour after she lied in a viral Facebook Live rant about being HIV-positive and intentionally infecting others.

Americus police said in a news release Friday that a recent blood test showed Brandi Yakeima Lasiter did not have HIV. She was charged with a misdemeanour count of making harassing communications.

Americus police began investigating after receiving links last week to the video that showed Lasiter naming men she claimed to have infected, along with their wives and girlfriends. She later told detectives she lied about being HIV-positive because she was angry at the people named in her video.

It was not immediately known if Lasiter had an attorney. Misdemeanors in Georgia are punishable by up to a year in jail.