Undercover agents were able to buy the fraudulent cards for $20 each at a bar in Clements, Calif., according to the authorities. Federal officials say the problem has grown during the pandemicA fraudulent Covid-19 vaccination card purchased by agents at the Old Corner Saloon in Clements, Calif.Credit...California Department of Alcoholic Beverage ControlA California bar owner was arrested this week on charges that he had sold fake Covid-19 vaccination cards at his business, prosecutors said.The owner, Todd Anderson, 59, of Acampo, Calif., was arrested on Tuesday and charged with identity theft, forging government documents, falsifying medical records and having a loaded unregistered handgun, Tori Verber Salazar, the San Joaquin County district attorney, said in a statement this week.“It is disheartening to have members in our community show flagrant disregard for public health in the midst of a pandemic,” Ms. Salazar said in the statement. “Distributing, falsifying or purchasing fake COVID-19 vaccine cards is against the law and endangers yourself and those around you.”Mr. Anderson declined to comment on Friday. His arraignment is set for May 18.Agents from the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control began their investigation into Mr. Anderson after they received a complaint stating that fake cards were being sold at his business, the Old Corner Saloon in Clements, Calif., which is about 40 miles southeast of Sacramento.In April, undercover agents were able to buy fraudulent cards four times, the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control said.The cards were sold for $20 each, according to the district attorney’s office.“A number of the cards were found for distribution during a search warrant executed at the bar,” the department said. The search, it said, also uncovered more supplies, including 30 blank cards and a laminating machine, which were confiscated.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/07/us/fake-covid-vaccination-card-california.html
