Pharmacist arrested for allegedly selling hundreds of vaccine cards for $10 each

Officials say Tangtang Zhao faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted of stealing government property

A Chicago pharmacist was charged with allegedly selling more than 100 Covid-19 vaccination cards on eBay.

Officials say Tangtang Zhao, 34, sold 125 authentic Centers of Disease Control vaccination cards to about a dozen buyers for $10 each.

Prosecutors say that Mr Zhao was a licensed pharmacist in the state of Illinois and worked at a pharmacy that distributed and administered COVID-19 vaccines.

Mr Zhao has been charged with 12 counts of theft of government property, according to the indictment.

“We take seriously, and will vigorously investigate, any criminal offense that contributes to the distrust around vaccines and vaccination status,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth Polite Jr, of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.

Mr Zhao made his initial court appearance on Tuesday in the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and if convicted faces 10 years in prison on each count.

“Knowingly selling Covid vaccination cards to unvaccinated individuals puts millions of Americans at risk of serious injury or death,” said Special Agent in Charge Emmerson Buie Jr of the FBI’s Chicago Field Office.

“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.”

The United States has seen more than 37m cases of Covid-19 during the pandemic, and 622,000 deaths.

Illinois has seen more than 1.47m cases and 26,123 deaths from the virus.

Earlier this week officials in Hawaii arrested a Florida couple and accused them of trying to get around the state’s Safe Travel’s programme using fake vaccination cards.

Daniela and Enzo Dalmazzo, of Miami, Florida, flew to Oahu with their two children on 11 August and also allegedly had fake cards for their two children, who are too young to even receive the vaccine.