Nurses Rake in $1.5M Offering Forged COVID Vaccine Cards: District Attorney

Two nurses in Long Island, New York have been accused of forging vaccine cards, in a scheme that brought in around $1.5 million, according to law enforcement officials.

The Suffolk County Police Department announced Friday that nurses, Julie DeVuono, 49, and Marissa Urraro, 44, had been arrested for "forging COVID-19 Vaccination Record Cards and entering the false information into the New York State Immunization Information System ("NYSIIS") to indicate a vaccine was given."

Police said they "charged $220 for adults and $85 for children per false entry."

"As nurses, these two individuals should understand the importance of legitimate vaccination cards as we all work together to protect public health," Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney K. Harrison said in a statement that was posted on Facebook.

According to the Long Island newspaper Newsday, prosecutors said that when law enforcement officials searched DeVuono's home, they found $900,000 in cash, and a ledger noting profits that amounted to more than $1.5 million from the alleged scheme.

DeVuono is a nurse practitioner and the owner Wild Child Pediatric Healthcare, which is based in Amityville, New York, and Urraro is her employee, a licensed practical nurse, the newspaper reported.

"These individuals allegedly used their positions as licensed healthcare professionals to engage in criminal conduct for their financial benefit," Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said in a statement, according to Newsday.

"I hope this sends a message to others who are considering gaming the system that they will get caught and that we will enforce the law to the fullest extent," Tierney added.

Police said DeVuono and Urraro were each charged with one count of second-degree forgery, and that DeVuono faces an additional count of first-degree offering a false instrument for filing.

Newsweek reached out to the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office for details about the case, but did not receive a response in time for publication on Saturday morning.

In a separate case in August, 13 people in New York who worked in "essential-employee settings" were accused of buying fake vaccine cards. Two people were also charged with selling the fake cards.

Jasmine Clifford, 31, allegedly sold around 250 forged COVID-19 vaccine cards on Instagram, according to Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr.

"In a typical transaction, Clifford charged $200 for the falsified cards and accepted payment through CashApp or Zelle," a press release from Vance's office stated.

Another woman was accused of falsely entering names into the New York State Immunization Information System.

The 13 people charged with purchasing the cards worked in hospitals, medical and nursing schools, and nursing homes, prosecutors said in August.