Family of U.S. Teen Serving Jail Time in Cayman Islands for Breaking COVID-19 Rules Appeals to Trump

Skylar Mack’s grandmother, Jeanne Mack, wrote a letter to President Donald Trump asking for help.

The family of 18-year-old Skylar Mack, who is serving jail time in the Cayman Islands for violating COVID-19 regulations, is appealing to the Trump administration for help, NBC News reported.

Mack’s grandmother, Jeanne Mack, wrote a letter to President Donald Trump asking for help for Mack to be released. Mack, who is a pre-med college student, is currently serving for months in prison in the territory.

“She cries, she wants to come home,” Mack’s grandmother, Jeanne Mack, told “Today” on Monday. “She knows she made a mistake. She owns up to that, but she’s pretty hysterical right now.”

Mack, who lives in Georgia, reportedly went to visit her boyfriend, Vanjae Ramgeet, 24, who lives in the Cayman Islands, and ignored the required 14-day quarantine, People reported.

Mack arrived in the Cayman Islands on Nov. 27 and left her residence on Nov. 29. Authorities said she removed her bracelet, meant to track her location, and then watched Ramjeet, who’s a professional jet skier, compete at the islands’ Jet Ski racing national championship, according to reports. Authorities said they both socialized with others at the event for seven hours without masks. At the event, Mack and Ramjeet were detained by police after event organizers notified authorities, The New York Times reported.

Mack was charged with leaving her home during the quarantine period while Ramjeet was charged with aiding and abetting. On Tuesday, Mack’s case is going before judges to see if an appeal her attorney filed can proceed, according to the Times.

Initially the couple’s original sentence was 40 hours community service and a $2,600 fine, but the territory’s Director of Public Prosecutions, Patrick Moran, decided to appeal their sentence because he didn’t think it fit the crime, according to the Cayman Compass.

“These offenses should have been met with far more stringent measures,” Moran said in court on Dec. 14 “When it comes to a matter of deterrence, the sentences imposed are likely to have little to no effect on other like-minded individuals.”

Mack's grandmother told the Times that she received a response from the Office of Presidential Correspondence, saying that her letter had been forwarded “to the appropriate federal agency for further action,” The New York Times reported.