A nurse at a Veterans Affairs hospital has been charged with stealing and selling fraudulent COVID-19 vaccination cards, the Department of Justice announced.
Bethann Kierczak, 37, was arrested Wednesday and charged with theft of government property and theft or embezzlement related to a healthcare benefit program by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of Michigan.
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She was accused of stealing authentic vaccination record cards from the hospital and then reselling them to local individuals, including veterans and non-veterans. The complaint alleges that Kierczak began selling the cards as early as May 2021 and was still doing it at the time of her arrest.
Kierczak charged roughly $150-200 apiece, and she communicated with buyers mainly through Facebook Messenger.
“These arrests reflect our deep commitment to protecting the health of our community and preventing this dangerous fraud from affecting our most vulnerable citizens,” said acting U.S. Attorney Saima Mohsin. “Regardless of whether an individual chooses to get vaccinated, we urge everyone to avoid turning to schemes like these to evade vaccination requirements. Importing these cards is a crime. Selling these cards is a crime. We will continue to investigate these crimes and prosecute them accordingly.”
The Detroit VA Police Services received a tip from a confidential source that a registered nurse had been selling fake vaccination cards last month, the court documents said, according to Military Times.
The source, according to prosecutors, then worked with law enforcement to purchase a fake card from the nurse whom she later maintained contact with after the exchange.
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“The theft of government property is a serious crime, particularly when it involves documents that are used in recording patient health information,” said special agent in charge Lamont Pugh III of the Department of Health & Human Services, Office of Inspector General-Chicago Region. “Stealing and selling COVID-19 vaccination cards is an inexcusable act and will not be tolerated. HHS is committed to working with our law enforcement partners to protect the health and safety of the public during this pandemic.”
