Florida Woman Arrested For Selling Fake COVID-19 Test Results To Travelers

A Florida woman has been arrested for selling fake COVID-19 lab test results to people who need them for travel purposes.

The accused, 33-year-old Stephanie Barbery, was taken into custody Tuesday on a felony count of fraudulent use of personal identification information, NBC Miami reported, citing an arrest report.

Her misconduct came to light after two undercover Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents purchased two reports, worth $40 and $30, from her. The documents carried the name of Nomi Health Lab Services along with a Miami-Dade County seal.

Nomi Health Lab Services already issued a statement saying that it never employed Barbery. It also claimed that the reports were fake.

"We get reports from law enforcement from time to time about these unfortunate violations of documentation. This is a crime, and law enforcement treats it as such," its statement read, as per the outlet. "Our involvement includes cooperating with law enforcement to determine the veracity of the letter/document in question. We encourage all events to be reported."

FBI reportedly launched its investigation in January 2021 after learning of a scheme in which fake results were sold to travelers who wanted to present negative test results to authorities instead of taking real tests. Barbery was eventually tracked down in Broward County after the agency's financial crimes unit issued a warrant for her arrest.

Barbery is currently being held in the Miami-Dade jail in lieu of a $5,000 bond. She appeared in a bond court Wednesday and claimed she has lived in Miami with her husband and two children. However, multiple addresses were found listed under her name, according to the outlet.

Meanwhile, there is no attorney information listed in her arrest report.

In February 2021, Europol warned the public that the illegal sale of phony COVID-19 test results was on the rise. The agency explained that as long as travelers are required to present negative test results to enter the countries they are visiting, criminals will likely "seize the opportunity of producing and selling fake COVID-19 test certificates."