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A Wisconsin pharmacist pleaded guilty in federal court Tuesday to wasting hundreds of doses of the Moderna coronavirus vaccine.
Steven Brandenburg, 46, pleaded guilty to two counts of “attempting to adulterate consumer products with reckless disregard for the risk of another person being put at risk of death or injury,” according to a Press release of the Department of Justice (DOJ).
The charges carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
“This individual used his special access to tamper with the vials of the COVID-19 vaccine if necessary. The FBI takes allegations of consumer product adulteration very seriously and will use all available resources to bring to justice those who intentionally endanger public health, ”said FBI Milwaukee Special Agent in Charge, Robert Hughes, according to the press release.
Officials at Advocate Aurora Health Medical Center in Grafton, Wisconsin, reported last month that an employee intentionally removed more than 50 vials of the Moderna vaccine from the freezer.
It was originally believed that the incident was due to “human error”, but later Brandenburg was suspected of having done it on purpose, believing the vaccine to be “dangerous”.
Moderna vaccine must still be stored at cooler temperatures in order to remain effective. According to the DOJ, Brandenburg took the vaccines out of the freezer for several hours for two consecutive nights. Fifty-seven people received doses of the vaccine from this batch before the Brandenburg actions were discovered.
The DOJ says Brandenburg had been expressing his feelings about the vaccines to his colleagues at the hospital for at least two years. His actions are estimated to have ruined more than 500 doses of the vaccine.
Brandenburg’s license was suspended earlier this month after he was arrested by authorities on charges of reckless endangerment, adulteration of a prescription drug and criminal damage to property.
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