Two nurses on Long Island, New York, are accused of forging COVID-19 vaccination cards and earning more than $1.5 million, prosecutors and police said.
Julie DeVuono, owner of Wild Child Pediatric Healthcare in Amityville, and her employee, Marissa Urraro, are charged with forgery, and DeVuono is also charged with providing false documents.
Both were processed on Friday.
Urraro's attorney, Michael Alber, called for the defendants not to be rushed to trial, saying his client is a well-respected nurse.
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"We hope to be able to highlight the legal impediments and the flaws in the investigation," he said on Saturday.
"We believe that this accusation will not affect the good work that Urraro has done with children and adults in the medical field."
Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney said DeVuono and Urraro
turned in fake vaccination cards, costing $220 for adults and $85 for children.
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DeVuono, a nurse practitioner, and Urraro, a licensed nurse, entered the false information into the state's immunization database, he said.
Prosecutors said the nurses forged a card stating that an undercover detective was given the vaccine, but never performed the immunization.
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Officers searched DeVuono's home and said they
seized about $900,000 in cash
and accounting records showing more than $1.5 million in profits from the fraud that began in November 2021.
"I hope this sends a message to other people who are thinking of gaming the system because they will get caught and we will enforce the law to the fullest," Tierney said in a statement.
Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison added, "As nurses, these folks need to understand the importance of legitimate immunization cards as we all work to protect public health."
With information from
The New York Post
and The Associated Press