California doctor faces federal charges in fake Covid-19 vaccine program



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Juli A. Mazi, 41, faces a charge of wire fraud and one count of misrepresentation related to health issues, according to the Justice Department. Prosecutors said the Napa woman attempted to sell homeoprophylactic vaccination lozenges and fake Covid-19 vaccination cards that made it look like her clients had received the Moderna vaccine. This is the first federal prosecution for criminal fraud related to these fraudulent immunizations and vaccination cards, according to prosecutors.

“This defendant allegedly defrauded and endangered the public by attacking fears and spreading misinformation about vaccinations authorized by the FDA, while peddling fake treatments that endanger people’s lives. Worse yet, the accused allegedly created counterfeit COVID-19 vaccination cards and instructed his clients to falsely mark that they had received a vaccine, allowing them to bypass efforts to contain the spread of the disease. ” , said Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco.

“’According to the complaint, instead of disseminating valid remedies and information, Juli Mazi has profited from the illegal sale of unapproved remedies, raising false fears and generating false evidence of vaccination. We will act to protect trust in medical developments that allow us to get out of the problems posed by the pandemic, ”Acting US Attorney Stephanie M. Hinds said.

CNN is seeking comments from Mazi.

If convicted, Mazi could face 20 years in prison for wire fraud and five years for making false statements in addition to a fine of $ 250,000 for each charge and three years of supervised release, according to the Ministry of Justice.

Mazi’s program included vaccination lozenges

In April, someone called the Inspector General’s Office of Health and Social Services hotline to file a complaint, according to the criminal complaint. Mazi sold family members homeoprophylactic vaccination lozenges containing the Covid-19 virus, which she said “create an antibody response in the immune system,” said the complainant. The complainant also said his family had not received injections for any of the three authorized Covid-19 vaccines.

The order of tablets arrived with vaccination cards and instructions on dosing and how to fill out the cards. Mazi told the family “to mark the cards to falsely state that they received the Moderna vaccine on the date they ingested the alleged Covid-19 homeoprophylactic vaccination lozenges,” according to the complaint.

In a recorded phone call with the complainant in June, Mazi said that virtually any infectious disease that exists can be cured through a process called “homeoprophylaxis,” which involves introducing a tiny amount of disease into the body. to cause immunity. “according to the criminal complaint.

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“’So the cure for Covid has been available from the start, and I offered it,” Mazi told the complainant, according to a recording of the appeal detailed in the criminal complaint.

She also told the appellant that the dosage of the remedy she was offering was the same “for babies” and asked the appellant if he was interested in discussing the vaccinations required by the State of California for them. schoolchildren. Mazi said she offered school vaccines “in the form of homeoprophylactic remedies,” according to the criminal complaint. During this conversation, the appellant purchased the pellets for $ 243, according to the complaint.

The criminal complaint details Mazi’s ploy to bypass school vaccination requirements with false documents. In August 2020, a school worker in Ukiah, Mendocino County, received a vaccination card for a student showing Mazi’s name as the provider. The card was “unusual in that it showed vaccination spacing that did not reflect the typical dosing schedule for the FDA-approved vaccines referenced on the card,” the complaint said.

Another complainant called the health and social services hotline regarding the Covid-19 homeoprophylaxis vaccination lozenges and said she heard about Mazi from her significant other, according to the complaint. The significant other’s roommate had taken the pellets and felt ill, describing the symptoms as “gastrointestinal discomfort and a general feeling of being unwell,” according to the complaint.

Financial records show Mazi received approximately $ 221,817 in 1,242 transactions from January 2020 through May 21, 2021, according to the complaint. While a majority did not state the purpose of the transaction, the document says at least 25 transactions indicated they were for Covid treatments, amounting to $ 7,653 while around 34 other transactions denote homeoprophylactic treatment.

CNN’s Amir Vera contributed to this report.

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