Tangtang Zhao, who worked as a licensed pharmacist for a nationwide chain of stores and pharmacies, faces up to 120 years in prison after being arrested for allegedly selling dozens of authentic COVID-19 vaccination cards issued by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
According to the indictment, Zhao sold 134 real vaccination cards to 11 buyers who paid him about $1,276, or about $10 per vaccination card.
He is now charged with 12 counts of theft of government property and sentenced to ten years in prison for each of the counts if found guilty.
He made his initial court appearance Tuesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sheila M. Finnegan in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
FBI Special Agent in Charge Emmerson Buie Jr. said, “Knowingly selling COVID vaccination cards to unvaccinated individuals puts millions of Americans at risk of serious injury or death. To put such a small price on the safety of our nation is not only an insult to those who are doing their part in the fight to stop COVID-19 but a federal crime with serious consequences.”
For more information, read the original story in Bleeping Computer.
