Two healthcare workers out of Long Island have been arrested for forging COVID-19 vaccination cards. Allegedly the popular and successful scheme raked in a whopping $1.5 million for the two ladies. The scam business was allegedly only in action from November of 2021 until this month when they were caught.
The New York Post reports Julie DeVuono, a 49-year-old nurse practitioner, and Marissa Urraro, a 44-year old licensed practical nurse, are accused of charging "$220 for fake cards for adults and $85 for children, the Suffolk County Police Department said Friday.”
But the fake cards came with an extra incentive: “The duo would then add the bogus information into the New York State Immunization Information System (“NYSIIS”) to falsely list the individuals as vaccinated.”
The women orchestrated out of Wild Child Pediatric Healthcare in Amityville, New York, which is owned and operated by DeVuono, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office told NBC 4.
Both were charged with forgery, while DeVuono was additionally charged with a count of offering fraud. Investigators found $900,000 in cash at DeVuono’s home, as well as financial records which show she allegedly made off with over $1.5 million in profits.
At their arraignment on Friday, prosecutors also alleged that the pair forged vaccine cards for undercover NYPD officers, NBC 4 reported. Former Secret Service agent and president of Sequoia Security Group, Nino Perrotta, says the scam was made possible due to a lack of a dual authentication, or verification process.
“Here, the nurses were able to input bogus information into a NYS computer program Electronic Clinical Laboratory System (ECLS)” said Perrotta. However, “If the ECLS process would require both a nurse and doctor, for example, to verify the process it may limit these types of frauds.”
Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney K. Harrison said, “As nurses, these two individuals should understand the importance of legitimate vaccination cards as we all work together to protect public health.”
“In the end, the greed for a quick buck needs to be countered with a greater loss; maybe the loss of one’s practice or license in this case, is the ideal deterrent” added Perrotta.