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A Utah plastic surgeon and some of his staff have been accused of running an elaborate COVID vaccine scam, in which they are accused of ordering thousands of doses of the injections, then throwing them away and giving patients cards. of fake vaccines.
In some cases, prosecutors say they even gave children saline injections at the request of their parents, who wanted them to think they had been vaccinated when they had not.
Dr. Michael J. Kirk Moore, 58, was charged along with nurse Kari Dee Burgoyne, 52, and neighbor Kristin Jackson Andersen, 59. Sandra Flores, 31, another member of his staff, was also charged.
Dr. Michael J. Kirk Moore, 58, was charged along with nurse Kari Dee Burgoyne, 52, and two other women.
Federal prosecutors in Utah say they used the practice of Dr. Moore, the Utah Institute of Plastic Surgery in Sandy, south of Salt Lake City, to execute the scam.
It is not clear from the indictment why they executed the alleged plan; Prosecutors have not indicated whether any of the defendants are anti-vaxxers or were simply trying to make money.
However, the indictment claims that both Andersen and Moore are members of an unknown organization that “seeks to ‘liberate’ the medical profession from government and industry conflicts of interest.”
In all, they sold nearly 2,000 fake vaccination cards for a profit of $96,850.
According to the indictment, the group pretended to administer 391 injections for children, 524 Pfizer injections for adults, 64 Moderna injections, and 958 J&J injections between October 2021 and September 2022.
They were actually flushed down the drain with syringes, prosecutors say.
Now, they are all accused of destroying government property. They were indicted earlier this month, but the indictment was unsealed this week in a Utah court.
According to the indictment, they took nearly 2,000 vaccines for which the government paid $28,028 and dumped them down their office drains, then sold fake vaccination cards for $50 each for a total of $96,850.
According to the indictment, the group filled out the cards after patients had sent $50 via Venmo or PayPal using an orange emoji to indicate they were part of the scam.
It lays out how in 2021, they ‘started notifying’ people who were looking for a vaccine card but not a vaccine that they would provide it.
It is not clear if they advertised the service or if patients came to them independently.
Once the inquiries were made, Dr. Moore turned the patient over to Burgoyne, who in turn turned him over to Andersen, it is alleged.
Patients were asked to text Andersen the full name of the person who had referred them.
“We only do referrals,” he said in a text message to an undercover FBI agent.
Once the referral name was provided, he would instruct patients to send a $50 payment via Venmo or PayPal, telling them to use an orange emoji in the notes section to indicate what it was for.
The Utah Institute for Plastic Surgery in Sandy, south of Salt Lake City
Once that was done, prosecutors say he filled out the necessary paperwork and sent it back to the doctor’s office.
Then, supposedly, the patient would pick up his immunization card at the office.
Two undercover agents went through the process, including one who asked if his children could also receive cards.
That agent says that Flores wrote on a post-it “with minors under 18 years of age, we do an injection of saline solution.”
They have been charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States; conspiracy to convert, sell, transfer and dispose of government property; and conversion, sale, transfer and disposition of government property and aid and abetment.
All will appear before a judge on January 24 and face a maximum of five years in prison.
The indictment says that both the doctor and one of the women were part of a movement to “liberate” the medical profession from “governmental conflicts of interest.”