The scheme allegedly brought in more than $1.5 million
New York, January 31 (RHC)-- Two New York nurses have been arrested for allegedly selling fake COVID-19 vaccination cards, and making more than $1.5 million in the process.
The Suffolk County district attorney’s office announced the two nurses working in Long Island -- 49-year-old Julie Devuono and 44-year-old Marissa Urraro -- had forged vaccine cards from last November into January of 2022. The pair reportedly charged $220 to $440 for vaccine cards for adults, but offered a discount for children, only charging $85.
After faking the actual physical vaccine cards, the two would then allegedly add false information to the New York State Immunization Information System (NYSIIS) to list people as vaccinated when they were not.
Prosecutors said that the nurses were caught when they forged vaccine cards for undercover detectives. The two worked at Wild Child Pediatric Healthcare in Amityville, an establishment that DeVuono, who is a nurse practitioner, owned.
Businesses around the pediatric clinic had noticed increased foot traffic recently, according to local media reports. “It’s frightening beyond words,” one neighbor told the New York CBS affiliate.
In a search of DeVuono’s home, police discovered more than $900,000 in U.S. currency, plus a ledger documenting more than $1.5 million in payments for the alleged vaccine card scheme.
DeVuono and Urraro have both been charged with forgery. Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney added in a statement he hopes the arrests will “send a message” to anyone else “considering gaming the system.” “We will enforce the law to the fullest extent,” Tierney said.
