As the holiday season has kicked off a rise in COVID-19 cases and other respiratory illnesses, the New York State Department of Health is reminding New Yorkers that obtaining a fraudulent COVID-19 vaccination card not only doesn’t help protect them and others from becoming seriously ill or hospitalized with COVID-19, it is a serious crime that carries significant penalties. The Department’s Vaccination Complaint Investigations Team was recently honored by the Federal Law Enforcement Foundation for its work alongside the New York State Police, New York County District Attorney’s Office, and United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General in the investigation of numerous individuals for their role in a conspiracy that supplied forged COVID-19 vaccination cards to buyers through a popular social media platform. To date, fifteen defendants have been arrested and charged with felony offenses as a result of the investigation, including thirteen individuals who purchased the forged cards for their own use or purchased the cards and paid for the fraudulent vaccination information to be entered into New York’s immunization registry.
