A New Jersey stripper who admitted selling hundreds of fake COVID-19 vaccination cards for $200 each has had her sentence suspended because she brought her young children to court.
Jasmine Clifford, 34, faced one to three years in prison after pleading guilty in April and spending several months on Rikers Island in New York.
She was released in early 2022 after being arrested the previous summer, but had not made arrangements for the care of her two pre-teen sons as of Friday.
Judge Marisol Martinez Alonso suspected it was a ploy to further delay the proceedings, but gave her until July 25 to make the necessary arrangements.
She will then appear before the judge again to hear her sentence, Alonso said, with the time she has already spent in prison being deducted from her sentence.
Jasmine Clifford, 34, faced one to three years in prison after pleading guilty in April and spending several months on New York’s Rikers Island following her arrest in August 2021.
Released in May 2022 ahead of her criminal trial, she made no arrangements Friday for her two pre-teen sons. She was seen with them last year after spending several months on Rikers Island
“The court finds that the recommendation of a two- to four-year prison sentence is wholly inconsistent with the plea offers presented to this court by District Attorney Bragg’s office,” the judge said earlier this year of his decision not to dismiss the charges, while also accusing District Attorney Bragg of exaggerating the offense.
‘Clifford’s manipulation of the database’ requires[ed] extended DOH [New York State Department of Health] “Resources must be invested to restore the integrity of the database,” he added before moving on to the case.
This factor therefore weighs against dismissing the charges against [her].
“The position that ‘confidence in the criminal justice system can only be undermined if justice is not administered in a balanced manner’ is simply ridiculous,” Alonso continued.
‘Notwithstanding the People’s contrary position in this case, the People have the right to make any lawful request or recommendation, and the mandate of the Legislature prohibits this Court from making an offer less than the statutory minimum.
Clifford’s defense agreed to the statutory minimum for their client’s sentence, as they pleaded guilty to a conspiracy in which she sold fake Centers for Disease Control and Prevention vaccination cards and then falsely registered buyers in New York.
As a result, at least 13 people were fraudulently entered into the New York State Immunization Information System database, according to federal authorities, while the mother of two lived a life of luxury in her Lyndhurst home
Meanwhile, she remained prominent on social media as stripper 5StarJaziiii and on her still-active Instagram account, she promoted the fake CDC vaccination cards under the name AntiVaxMomma.
Judge Marisol Martinez Alonso suspected it was a ploy to further delay the proceedings, but gave her until July 25 to make the necessary arrangements
At that point, she will return to court to hear her sentence, Alsonso said — with the time she has already spent in prison deducted from her sentence
Clifford’s defense agreed to the statutory minimum sentence for their client’s sentence, as she pleaded guilty to a conspiracy in which she sold fake vaccination cards from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention before falsely registering buyers in New York
She accepted payments from interested parties via CashApp or Zelle. The pseudonym has since been removed from her social media accounts.
For an additional $250, a second scammer would enter a bogus ticket buyer’s name into a New York state vaccination database, used to verify vaccination status at gatherings such as concerts and sporting events, prosecutors said.
Clifford was subsequently charged with possession of a forged document, offering a false document for filing, and fifth-degree conspiracy when she was arrested in August 2021.
In court documents leading up to the verdict, Alonso appeared to chide Bragg for systematically treating violent offenders leniently and lecturing someone like Clifford. That view was echoed by state Supreme Court Justice Brendan T. Lantry in February, when he dismissed charges against a couple accused of buying tickets from Clifford.
The two were among just 16 people Bragg’s office “selected” to prosecute and charge with possession of a forged document, the judge said.
The self-proclaimed AntiVaxMomma accepted payments from interested parties via CashApp or Zelle. The pseudonym has since been removed from her social media accounts.
The presiding judge ultimately decided not to dismiss the charges, but also accused officials of overstating the offense.
In court documents leading up to the ruling, legal experts appeared to chide Bragg for routinely treating violent offenders leniently while blaming a nonviolent offender like Clifford
State Supreme Court Justice Brendan T. Lantry agreed with that position in February when he dismissed charges against a couple accused of buying tickets from Clifford.
In an opinion issued shortly thereafter, he wrote that Bragg’s office “almost daily – routinely -[s] to drop significantly more serious charges or charges altogether to avoid harsher sentences for repeat offenders. Clifford — who has continued to post on social media since her release in early 2022 — will be sentenced with credit for time served on July 25
In an opinion issued shortly thereafter, he wrote that Bragg’s office “almost daily – routinely -[s] to drop significantly more serious charges or charges altogether, to avoid harsher sentences for previously convicted criminals, or to avoid jeopardizing people’s immigration status.
These motions have been submitted [by Bragg and his prosecutors] “Sentences are being imposed months or even years after the 45-day period has expired for… sexual assault, drug sales, robbery, burglary and other violent and non-violent serious crimes,” Lantry said.
City Council Minority Leader Joseph Borelli praised the ruling, telling The New York Post: “Imagine prosecuting a scared woman for this, even though she didn’t even use the fake card, while simultaneously letting violent perpetrators go free. I’m glad the judge is holding him accountable for the world to see.”
Clifford, who has continued to post on social media since her release in early 2022, will receive her sentence while she serves the July 25 sentence, officials said Friday.