Newsman: Two nurses on New York’s Long Island are being charged with forging Covid-19 vaccination cards and entering the fake jabs in the state’s database, a scam that allegedly raked in more than $1.5 million. Just a month ago, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a bill into law criminalizing fake Covid-19 vaccination cards
The district attorney in Suffolk County announced Friday the arrests of Julie DeVuono, 49, and Marissa Urrao, 44, who worked at Wild Child Pediatric Healthcare in Amityville. DeVuono was the its owner and operator, the DA said.
During a search of DeVuono’s home, officials said officers seized roughly $900,000. They also allegedly found a ledger documenting profits from the scheme in excess of $1.5 million. A ledger found at DeVuono’s home allegedly documented profits from the scheme totaling more than $1.5 million, prosecutors said. Investigators also found $900,000 in U.S. currency at the residence.
Between Nov. 2021 and Jan. 2022, the pair allegedly forged vaccine cards, charging $220 for adults and $85 for children. At their arraignment, prosecutors also accused the duo of writing fake cards for undercover detectives who did not receive a COVID-19 vaccine.
“As nurses, these two individuals should understand the importance of legitimate vaccination cards as we all work together to protect public health,” said Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison.
“Forging COVID-19 vaccination cards and entering false information into the New York State database used to track vaccination records puts the health and well-being of others at risk, and undermines efforts to slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus,” special agent Scott Lampert said in a statement announcing the charges.
DeVuono’s husband Derin DeVuono, who is a New York Police Department officer, is being investigated by the department’s Internal Affairs Bureau in terms of his possible involvement in his wife’s alleged scheme, sources told the New York Daily News.
From November 2021 to January 2022, the pair allegedly forged vaccination cards, charging adults $220 apiece and $85 per child for a fake record that would land in the New York State Immunization Information System database. Prosecutors said that on one or more occasions, DeVuono and Urrano allegedly created records to indicate a vaccine was given to an undercover detective despite never administering the vaccine.
DeVuono and Urraro are each being charged with one count of forgery in the second degree. DeVuono is also being charged with an additional count of offering a false instrument for filing in the first degree. The pair’s legal defense was not immediately clear.
