Two healthcare workers have been arrested after allegedly forging and selling COVID-19 vaccination cards in New York.
The Suffolk County Police Department announced Friday it arrested Julie DeVuono, 49, and Marissa Urraro, 44, for selling fake vaccination cards and entering the information into the New York State Immunization Information System, according to a statement.
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“As nurses, these two individuals should understand the importance of legitimate vaccination cards as we all work together to protect public health,” said Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison.
Each was charged with one count of forgery in the second degree, and DeVuono was charged with an additional count of offering a false instrument for filing in the first degree.
Devuono and Urraro charged adults $220 and children $85 for each false vaccination entry, police said. The pair allegedly brought in around $1.5 million for the scheme, according to NBC New York.
Both women worked at Wild Child Pediatric Healthcare in Amityville, New York, the outlet reported.
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As of Saturday, 83.2% of people in Suffolk County have received at least one dose of the vaccine, according to a tracker by COVID ActNow. The county has a little over 1.4 million residents, according to the 2019 U.S. Census Bureau.
The Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office did not respond to the Washington Examiner’s request for comment.
