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A nurse will be the first person in South Carolina to face federal criminal charges after making a fake vaccine card for her relative, according to the Associated Press.
Tammy McDonald, a registered nurse and the director of nursing at a health center in Columbia, has pleaded not guilty to the charges. She is accused of making a false vaccination card for a relative who holds "anti-vaccination beliefs" and then lying to government officials when asked about it. She was indicted by a federal grand jury on the case in November.
"She is not a flight risk, she is not a danger to the community," attorney Jim Griffin told the judge when debating her bail amount, according to The State newspaper. She was eventually given a $10,000 bail, and it is unknown if she paid it or is still in jail.
When arguing for his client, Griffin said that McDonald herself is vaccinated against COVID-19 and simply made the card to assist her relative, The State reported. He also maintained that she was not compensated for the card. Whether she used real identification cards and filled in her relative's name or if she created a card from scratch is unclear.
"She is a very qualified and competent registered nurse," he said.
According to The State, creating a fraudulent government-issued vaccine card could result in a maximum of fifteen years in prison. Lying to a federal agent also carries a maximum five-year sentence. Due to McDonald's clean track record, it is unlikely that she will carry these maximum sentences, potentially settling for probation instead.
McDonald's place of work and the relative that she made the card for have not been released to the public.
For more reporting from The Associated Press, see below.
The indictment was issued on November 23 and unsealed Thursday.
McDonald pleaded not guilty Thursday during an appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Shiva Hodges. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mike O'Mara asked for a $25,000 bond for McDonald, and Hodges set it at $10,000.
In recent months, federal and state officials have warned about the possibility of counterfeit cards that look like ones authorized by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The authorized cards contain the name and birthdate of the person receiving COVID-19 vaccinations, the name and dose numbers of the vaccines and the dates and locations they were given. Some businesses, governments and groups require employees to show proof of vaccination.
