Someone In SoCal Is Making Fake Distress Calls To Coast Guard

CALIFORNIA — The Coast Guard this week asked the public’s help in finding a person who has made eight suspected false distress calls to the Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach command center since Jan. 3.

Officials said the male caller communicates “Mayday” repeatedly through VHF-FM radio transmissions.

Willfully communicating a false distress message to the Coast Guard is an offense under federal law and punishable by up to six years in prison, a $250,000 fine, a $10,000 civil penalty and reimbursement to agencies for all costs incurred in responding to the false distress message, officials said in a press release.

“Coast Guard operations are inherently dangerous and our servicemembers face risks every time we launch for a search-and-rescue mission,” said Capt. Charlene Downey, Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach commander. “Limited resources should not be diverted away from legitimate emergencies."

Officials said the recordings of the distress calls from the past two weeks are currently undergoing forensic voice analysis to aid in the investigation.

The Coast Guard pursues all distress calls including suspected false distress calls until doubts as to the nature and legitimacy of the calls are resolved.

Anyone with any information about these false distress calls is encouraged to contact the Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach command center at 310-521-3801.

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