Authorities Arrest Chicago Pharmacist For Selling Vaccine Cards. He Could Face Decades In Prison
A Chicago pharmacist was arrested Tuesday for allegedly selling COVID-19 vaccination cards online.
Federal agents arrested pharmacist Tangtang Zhao on Tuesday, alleging he sold 125 authentic Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) vaccination cards on eBay, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced. Zhao sold the cards to 11 different buyers for around $10 a card, according to the DOJ.
“Knowingly selling COVID vaccination cards to unvaccinated individuals puts millions of Americans at risk of serious injury or death,” FBI special agent Emmerson Buie Jr. said in the announcement. “To put such a small price on the safety of our nation is not only an insult to those who are doing their part in the fight to stop COVID-19, but a federal crime with serious consequences.”
Zhao was indicted on 12 counts of theft of government property. Zhao allegedly stole the cards from his workplace, a pharmacy which administered COVID-19 vaccines.
Zhao made his first appearance in court Tuesday, and faces up to 10 years in federal prison per count, according to the DOJ.
“Stealing and selling COVID-19 vaccination cards is inexcusable and will not be tolerated,” Lamont Pugh, special agent of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), said in the announcement. “Fraudsters who engage in such unlawful conduct undermine efforts to address the pandemic and profit at the public’s expense.”
The FBI issued warnings in April against making or selling fake CDC vaccination cards, saying those who create or purchase the forgeries could face up to five years in prison. Counterfeit vaccination cards have been found on Amazon, Etsy, and other online marketplaces.
The Department of Justice did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for additional comment.
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That’s a high number of years for fake card over a fake vaccine. It’s only an emergency use authorization which the FDA rules gives the recipient the option to accept or refuse it.
FDA must ensure that recipients of the vaccine under an EUA are informed, to the extent practicable given the applicable circumstances, that FDA has authorized the emergency use of the vaccine, of the known and potential benefits and risks, the extent to which such benefits and risks are unknown, that they have the option to accept or refuse the vaccine, and of any available alternatives to the product. Typically, this information is communicated in a patient “fact sheet.” The FDA posts these fact sheets on our website.