A Paramedic Stole Coronavirus Vaccine Cards From His Workplace, Then Sold Them To Unvaccinated Buyers, Feds Say

The illegal sale of coronavirus vaccination cards began as a simple operation out of David Hodges’s home in Lewes, Del., federal prosecutors said.

Last February, Hodges, a paramedic who worked at a coronavirus vaccination site, started printing blank vaccine cards he found online, a complaint states.

But by the time investigators discovered the scheme months later, prosecutors said the operation had become more sophisticated. Hodges had taken blank vaccination cards from his workplace, according to the complaint, and pocketed nearly $1,300 after selling an unspecified number of the documents.

Federal authorities have since charged Hodges with stealing the authentic coronavirus vaccination cards from the Dover, Del., vaccination site where he worked and later selling them for various fees, according to the criminal complaint unsealed Tuesday. Prosecutors say he labeled them with real vaccine lot numbers to make the cards appear legitimate.

Hodges did not immediately respond to a request for comment when contacted by The Washington Post late Tuesday. His attorney, Jeffrey P. Scaggs, described the criminal case as “fluid” in an email to The Post but declined to comment further.

The Daily Beast first reported the allegations.

Hodges is among the latest defendants charged with selling coronavirus vaccine cards as some attempt to evade immunization requirements. Since vaccines became widely available in the United States, federal authorities have charged a pharmacist, a Department of Veterans Affairs hospital nurse, a bar owner and state troopers, among others, with selling or forging the immunization records now required to fly to some destinations or enter certain public spaces and businesses.

In one case, a retired Connecticut physician had her license suspended after the state found she mailed fake vaccine exemption forms to people looking to dodge coronavirus testing, mask and other pandemic requirements.

Federal authorities have also seized thousands of fake vaccination cards destined for locations across the United States.

By June, court records state, Hodges got access to the blank coronavirus vaccine cards stored at his workplace. He stole some of the cards, which he later sold to unvaccinated buyers, prosecutors said.

Before mailing the fraudulent vaccination cards, court records state that Hodges asked each person to provide a home address so he could look up nearby vaccination sites to obtain legitimate lot numbers of doses being administered in that area.

Hodges then used that information to fill out the card, according to the complaint.

If found guilty, Hodges could face up to six months behind bars. Records do not indicate when Hodges is due to appear in court.

(c) 2022, The Washington Post · Andrea Salcedo 

{Matzav.com}