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Hundreds Of COVID Scofflaws Caught Partying In Queens Banquet Hall
By
Sydney Pereira
Published Oct 18, 2020
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Sheriff's Office
By
Sydney Pereira
Published Oct 18, 2020
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A 200-plus-person party was busted at a Queens banquet hall early Saturday morning, according to the Sheriff's office.
At 1:40 a.m. Saturday, the Sheriff's office discovered approximately 215 people at the Queens Luxe Banquet Hall on Rockaway Boulevard in Queens.
The owner and three employees were given criminal court appearance tickets for violating emergency orders related to COVID-19, according to Sheriff Joe Fucito.
Partiers inside the hall were allegedly seen dancing, drinking alcohol without food, and smoking hookah without social distancing or mask-wearing.
Indoor gatherings with more than 50 people are prohibited under state coronavirus rules.
Johnny Albuja, 47, of Woodhaven, who the sheriff identified as the owner, as well as employee Miguel Hernandez, 49, of Elmhurst were charged with misdemeanors for emergency order violations as well as summonses for serving and storing alcohol without a license. Two other employees—Juan Carlos Barona Uribe and Luis David Mera Acosta—were also charged with violating emergency orders.
Inquiries to the banquet hall and its parent company, All in One Entertainment, were not immediately returned.
The South Ozone Park venue has two main rooms, each with a maximum capacity of 250 and 160 guests, according to Queens Luxe's website.
Late last month, a nearly 300-person wedding reception in Queens was shut down by the Sheriff's office. There, about 284 people were dispersed and the manager and owner taken into custody.
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COVID-19
coronavirus
queens
gatherings
banquet hall
Sydney Pereira
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