A homeopathic doctor in California is the first person to face federal charges for selling fake COVID-19 vaccination cards and pills that she falsely claimed would provide lifelong Covid-19 immunity.
According to a press release from the Department of Justice, Juli A. Mazi, 41 of Napa, sold homeoprophylaxis immunization pellets that she said contained small amounts of COVID-19 which would trigger the body’s immune response and offer lifelong protection against the virus.
She would then send COVID-19 vaccination cards to the families and instructed them on how to fill out the cards to make it appear as if they had received two doses of the the Moderna vaccine. Mazi provided customers with specific Moderna vaccine lot numbers to enter onto the cards and with instruction on how to select the purported dates on which they had received the Moderna vaccines to evade suspicion, the DOJ said.
To encourage customers to purchase the pellets, prosecutors say Mazi allegedly exploited disinformation and fear by falsely claiming that the FDA-authorized COVID-19 vaccines contain “toxic ingredients.” She also told her customers that the pellets could be given to children for COVID-19 immunity, and that the “dose is actually the same for babies.”
“This doctor violated the all-important trust the public extends to healthcare professionals — at a time when integrity is needed the most,” said Special Agent in Charge Steven J. Ryan of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Mazi provided vaccines for childhood illnesses that she claimed would meet California’s immunization requirements for schools. She would work with the parents to create fake immunization cards which they would submit to California schools.
Mazi has been charged with one count of wire fraud and one count of false statements related to health care matters. If convicted, she faces a maximum statutory prison sentence of 20 years for the wire fraud charge and 5 years for the false statements charge. In addition, each charge carries a maximum $250,000 fine and 3 years of supervised release, according to the DOJ.
There has been a growing market for fake vaccination cards fueled by anti-vaccination Americans and it has exploded since May when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that vaccinated Americans can return to their lifestyles pre-pandemic
According to Forbes, Google searches for “fake covid card” and “fake vaccine card” spiked 950% and 1,150%, respectively, following the CDC’s announcement.
