AMITYVILLE, N.Y. — Two nurses on Lengthy Island are accused of forging COVID-19 vaccination playing cards and pocketing greater than $1.5 million from the scheme, prosecutors and police mentioned.
Julie DeVuono, the proprietor of Wild Baby Pediatric Healthcare in Amityville, and her worker, Marissa Urraro, are each charged with felony forgery, and DeVuono is also charged with providing a false instrument for submitting. Each had been arraigned Friday.
Urraro’s lawyer, Michael Alber, urged individuals to not rush to judgment in regards to the allegations and mentioned his shopper is a well-respected nurse.
“We stay up for highlighting the authorized impediments and defects of the investigation,” he mentioned Saturday. “It’s our hope that an accusation positively doesn’t overshadow the great work Miss Urraro’s carried out for youngsters and adults within the medical subject.”
A message searching for remark was left with DeVuono’s lawyer.
Suffolk County District Legal professional Raymond Tierney mentioned DeVuono and Urraro handed out faux vaccination playing cards, charging $220 for adults and $85 for youngsters. DeVuono, a nurse practitioner, and Urraro, a licensed sensible nurse, entered the false info into the state’s immunization database, he mentioned.
Prosecutors mentioned the nurses cast a faux card exhibiting a vaccine was given to an undercover detective however by no means administered the vaccine to the detective.
Regulation enforcement officers searched DeVuono’s dwelling and mentioned they seized about $900,000 in money and a ledger exhibiting earnings of greater than $1.5 million from the scheme, which started in November 2021.
“I hope this sends a message to others who're contemplating gaming the system that they may get caught and that we'll implement the legislation to the fullest extent,” Tierney mentioned in a press release with different officers.
Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison added, “As nurses, these two people ought to perceive the significance of reliable vaccination playing cards as all of us work collectively to guard public well being.”