Joe.My.God. LGBT News
From the Justice Department:
Five individuals, including two certified nurse midwives, one licensed practical nurse and two health care business owners, have been charged for their participation in separate schemes that fraudulently distributed more than 2,600 fake COVID-19 vaccination records cards and defrauded the Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program of more than $1.7 million.
The defendants allegedly operated a COVID-19 vaccination card fraud scheme distributing vaccine cards to individuals not vaccinated while also destroying doses of the vaccine intended to protect members of the community. COVID-19 health care fraud schemes put the well-being of society at risk.
The indictment charges certified nurse midwives Kathleen Breault and Kelly McDermott with conspiracy to defraud the United States.
The indictment alleges that McDermott, who owns Sage-Femme Midwifery PLLC, a midwife clinic in Albany, New York, and Breault, who worked at Sage-Femme, conspired to enroll Sage-Femme as an authorized COVID-19 vaccine administration site and to provide COVID-19 vaccination record cards to individuals who were not vaccinated, including minors who were not at the time eligible to be vaccinated and non-United States citizens who were not present in the United States when they were purportedly vaccinated.
The defendants allegedly destroyed vials of COVID-19 vaccines that were intended to be used to vaccinate patients. Even though Sage-Femme was a small midwife practice, the defendants’ fraud turned it into one of the busiest vaccination sites in New York State, outpacing large, state-run vaccination sites.
The indictment charges Kate Spencer and Ziv Biton with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud, money laundering conspiracy and money laundering.
The indictment alleges that Spencer and Biton caused the submission of numerous fraudulent loan applications to the Paycheck Protection Program and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program on behalf of purported health care businesses, among others.
The applications contained false statements and included falsified documents regarding the purported businesses and the intended use of the loan funds, resulting in the distribution of over $1.7 million in fraudulent loans. The funds were allegedly used for personal expenses, such as purchases of residential properties.
Two Certified Nurse Midwives, One Licensed Practical Nurse and Two Business Owners Among Those Charged in Brooklyn as Part of National Health Care Related COVID-19 Enforcement Action
Announced with @IRSCI_NY @NewYorkFBI @DOJCrimDiv https://t.co/601eMgmqLj
— US Attorney EDNY (@EDNYnews) April 20, 2023