Michigan Nurse Stole COVID-19 Vaccine Cards, Sold Them On Facebook For $150: Police

A 37-year-old registered nurse in Detroit, Michigan, was arrested this week for allegedly stealing authentic COVID-19 vaccination cards and selling them through social media, prosecutors said.

Bethann Kierczak, of Southgate, was arrested Wednesday for using Facebook Messenger to allegedly sell stolen COVID-19 vaccination cards for around $150 to $200 each from as early as May up to her arrest, Acting U.S. Attorney Saima Mohsin of the Eastern District of Michigan announced in a news release on the day of Kierczak's arrest.

The nurse allegedly stole or embezzled authentic COVID-19 vaccination cards from a Veteran's Administration hospital—along with vaccine lot numbers needed to make the cards appear legitimate—and then sold them to people within the metro Detroit community, according to a complaint.

Authorities also arrested 32-year-old Rapheal Jarrell Smiley, of Detroit, Wednesday for allegedly "conducting an ongoing scheme to import and sell or otherwise distribute fraudulent COVID-19 Vaccination Record Cards," according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Michigan.

Smiley allegedly ordered vaccination cards from two shippers in China and advertised them for sale via his Facebook and Instagram accounts, the second complaint said. Both shippers were previously identified by law enforcement as importers of fraudulent COVID-19 vaccination record cards.

"These arrests reflect our deep commitment to protecting the health of our community and preventing this dangerous fraud from affecting our most vulnerable citizens," Mohsin said.

"Regardless of whether an individual chooses to get vaccinated, we urge everyone to avoid turning to schemes like these to evade vaccination requirements. Importing these cards is a crime. Selling these cards is a crime. We will continue to investigate these crimes and prosecute them accordingly," she added.

Kierczak was charged with theft of government property and theft or embezzlement related to a healthcare benefit program. Smiley, meanwhile, was charged with fraud involving department or agency seals, identity document fraud and trafficking in counterfeit goods.

The two appeared in federal court Wednesday on the charges.

"The theft of government property is a serious crime, particularly when it involves documents that are used in recording patient health information," Lamont Pugh III, special agent in charge of the Department of Health & Human Services, Office of Inspector General - Chicago Region, said in the news release.

"At a time when Americans eagerly want to return to a normal way of life, these counterfeit vaccine cards undermine our confidence in COVID-19 vaccines," said Vance R. Callender, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations field offices in Michigan and Ohio.