Since coronavirus vaccination cards became a feature of pandemic life, authorities have said they've thwarted schemes to sell fake cards. Investigators say a Veterans Affairs nurse in Michigan was selling the real thing, going so far as to provide her customers with genuine lot numbers. Bethann Kierczak was arrested and charged last week, the Washington Post reports. The criminal complaint says Kierczak, 37, stole the cards and sold them in the Detroit area for $150 to $200. It was her job to administer the doses, so she had access to vaccination records.
Kierczak mostly dealt with potential customers through Facebook Messenger, the charges say. When she received one request for 10 cards and answered, "I will get em," the customer answered, "Rockstar." A tip from someone who then cooperated with authorities launched the investigation. The nurse offered the tipster a commission for help selling cards, the filing says. Later, Kierczak reportedly sold the informant five blank cards for $1,000, adding a $300 commission. She also gave the informant a paper with a list of lot numbers, the charges say, most of which were from vaccine shipments to the VA hospital.
An acting US attorney did address such crimes. "Regardless of whether an individual chooses to get vaccinated, we urge everyone to avoid turning to schemes like these to evade vaccination requirements," said Saima Mohsin. She added that selling such cards is a crime. So is buying them, per WDIV. "You're committing a fraud," Mohsin said. Kierczak, her lawyer, and the VA declined to comment on the case. She was released after posting bond and has a hearing scheduled for Oct. 22. (More coronavirus vaccine stories.)
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