California woman first to face federal charges over fake COVID vaccinations and vaccination cards



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A homeopathic doctor from California has become the first person in the United States to face federal charges for fake COVID-19 vaccinations and forged coronavirus vaccination cards.

Juli A. Mazi, 41, of Napa, was arrested on Wednesday and charged with one count of wire fraud and one count of misrepresentation related to health issues, the Justice Department said in a statement from hurry.

“This defendant allegedly defrauded and endangered the public by attacking fears and spreading misinformation about FDA-approved vaccinations, while peddling bogus treatments that endanger people’s lives. Worse, l ‘accused allegedly created counterfeit COVID-19 vaccination cards and instructed 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.

Authorities were first made aware of Mazi’s alleged scheme in April, when a person contacted the hotline for the Inspector General’s office at the Department of Health and Human Services. The informant said family members bought vaccination lozenges from the doctor that “contained the COVID-19 virus and would create an antibody response in the immune system,” the DOJ said.

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In addition to the lozenges, Mazi also reportedly sent COVID-19 vaccination cards which incorrectly indicated that the Moderna vaccine had been administered. She allegedly asked customers to falsely indicate on the cards that they had received the Moderna vaccine on the date they ingested the lozenges.

The affidavit says Mazi expanded its pre-existing vaccination program during the pandemic and promised customers the lozenges would provide “lifelong immunity to COVID-19.”

She also reportedly encouraged customers to buy the granules, claiming that the FDA-approved vaccines contained “toxic ingredients” and that children could also take the granules, as the “dose is actually the same for babies.”

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As part of the program, Mazi reportedly taught clients how to forge immunization cards with specific Moderna vaccine lot numbers and tips on how to select fake immunization dates to evade suspicion.

“This doctor has violated the paramount public trust in medical professionals – at a time when integrity is most needed,” said Special Agent in Charge Steven J. Ryan of the Office of Inspector General from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS -BIG). “Working closely with our law enforcement partners, our agency will continue to investigate these fraudsters who recklessly endanger public health during the unprecedented COVID-19 crisis. ”

The charges come months after the FBI warned people faced stiff penalties for falsifying vaccination cards, noting it was a federal offense.

“Unauthorized use of the seal of an official government agency is a felony and may be punished under Title 18 of the United States Code, Section 1017 and other applicable laws,” said the FBI in a statement in May.

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FBI field offices have also opened investigations into false vaccine records, notably in Chicago where an agent warned that the sale of the cards endangered “everyone”.

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“If people sell fraudulent vaccination cards, they are putting everyone at risk,” FBI’s Siobhan Johnson said in May. “So yes, we are looking at those cases and investigating them and there may be severe penalties.”

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