A former Marine Corps reservist was sentenced to prison on Friday after pleading guilty to selling fake COVID-19 vaccination cards to unvaccinated individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to a U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Easter District of New York press release, 28-year-old Jia Liu was sentenced to 21 months in prison after conducting a fake COVID-19 vaccination card scheme with 29-year-old Steven Rodriguez, a Long Island nurse. Rodriguez was previously sentenced to 30 months in prison last year.
“Jia Liu was sentenced by United States District Judge Diane Gujarati to 21 months in prison for conspiring to steal, forge and distribute fraudulent COVID-19 Vaccination Cards,” the press release stated. “Liu and Rodriguez pleaded guilty in April 2023 to conspiracies to defraud and obstruct the United States’ response to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Liu and Rodriquez were charged with distributing more than 300 stolen or false COVID-19 vaccination cards and for falsely entering over 70 individuals in the government’s immunization databases.
READ MORE: Covid vaccine injuries exposed in newly uncovered data
“At the height of the COVID pandemic, Liu and Rodriguez brazenly fabricated vaccine cards and sold them for profit, thereby putting the safety of others at risk during this deadly health crisis,” Breon Peace, a U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District in Brooklyn, said. “This prosecution demonstrates our office’s ongoing commitment to holding accountable those who engaged in COVID-19 fraud. These prison sentences should deter other lawbreakers who put their own interests above public health.”
The press release explained that the former Marine reservist and Long Island nurse made significant efforts to conceal their fake COVID-19 vaccine card operation. Co-conspirators in the operation referred to the fake vaccine cards as “gift cards,” Cardi Bs,” and Pokemon cards.”
Officials claimed that Liu instructed people to communicate through encrypted applications and hide records of payment for the fake vaccine cards. Additionally, Liu and Rodriguez used false names on envelopes and “disguised the source of mail items.”
The press release claimed that Liu “exploited the pandemic to enrich himself” and to promote an “anti-vaccine agenda.” Officials referenced a message Liu sent to one of the co-conspirators, which said, “f-ck the vaccine.”
Officials indicated that Liu’s fake COVID-19 vaccine card operation “targeted” military members, as the former Marine Corps reservist offered other Marine Corps reservists the opportunity to avoid following the military’s strict vaccine requirements. Boasting about his operation in an encrypted messaging app, Liu wrote, “You have no idea how many documents I have faked in my usmc (United States Marine Corps) career.”
