New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
Nurse accused of buying fake COVID-19 vaccination card
BRIDGEPORT — A Connecticut nurse is accused of purchasing a fake COVID-19 vaccination card from a New Jersey woman who called herself the AntiVaxMomma on Instagram.
Adrianna Avila, 32, of Raven Road in Trumbull, was taken into
custody at her home by Trumbull Police and U.S. marshals on a fugitive from justice warrant. It is unclear what Avila did with the card.
New York authorities stated that Avila is among 13 people, all involved in the medical profession, who purchased fake COVID-19 vaccination cards. In addition, Avila is also accused of paying to be illegally entered into the New York medical database as someone who had been vaccinated.
During her arraignment hearing Thursday afternoon, Avila told Superior Court Judge Kevin Doyle she was agreeing to waive extradition to New York.
New York State Police immediately took custody of her.
Avila’s lawyer for the hearing, Assistant Public Defender Anne Marie Kindley, declined comment.
Avila is a registered nurse on active status, according to the state Department of Consumer Protection. Neither state records nor court records indicate where she works.
Avila is charged in New York court papers with fifth-degree conspiracy, second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument and first-degree offering a false instrument for filing.
On Tuesday Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. filed charges against 15 people he alleged are involved in the fake vaccination card conspiracy.
According to court documents and statements made in the Manhattan court, beginning in May, Jasmine Clifford, a self-described entrepreneur with several online businesses, advertised forged Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 vaccination cards through her Instagram account, @AntiVaxMomma.
Vance said Clifford charged $200 for the falsified cards and accepted payment through CashApp or Zelle. For an additional $250 fee, a co-conspirator, who works at a medical clinic in Patchogue, N.Y., would enter the individual’s name into the New York medical database as having received COVID-19 vaccinations, he said.
In total, Clifford sold approximately 250 forged COVID-19 vaccination cards, Vance stated.
Vance’s office did not respond to calls and emails for comments on Avila’s arrest.