Long Island Nurses Accused of Fake Vax Card Scheme Allegedly Made $1.5 Million

Two Long Island nurses are accused of forging coronavirus vaccination cards in a scheme that allegedly earned them over $1.5 million, according to reports.

In a Facebook release Friday, The Suffolk County Police Department (SCPD) announced the arrests of Julie DeVuono, 49, and Marissa Urraro, 44. DeVuono, a nurse practitioner, owns Wild Child Pediatric Healthcare in Amityville, and Urraro, a licensed practical nurse, is her employee, the Associated Press reports.

The women allegedly entered “the false information into the New York State Immunization Information System (“NYSIIS”) to indicate a vaccine was given,” and charged $220 per adult and $85 per child for false entries, the SCPD said.

The operation allegedly took place between November of 2021 and January of 2022, per WNBC. During their arraignment, prosecutors accused the pair of providing undercover detectives with vaccination cards, though they did not vaccinate the detectives.

“Law enforcement officers searched DeVuono’s home and said they seized about $900,000 in cash and a ledger showing profits of more than $1.5 million from the scheme, which began in November 2021,” according to the Associated Press.

The #Suffolk County DA arrested two people including the owner of an Amityville pediatric office for selling fake Covid-19 vaccine cards. $220 for adults, $85 for children. Ledgers show they may have made $1.5 million dollars from this illegal scheme #NBC4NY pic.twitter.com/jm0bcOkCeX

— Pei-Sze Cheng (@PeiSzeCheng4NY) January 28, 2022

On Saturday, Urraro’s lawyer, Michael Alber, urged the public not to jump to conclusions based on allegations, the Associated Press reports. 

“We look forward to highlighting the legal impediments and defects of the investigation,” Alber said. “It’s our hope that an accusation definitely doesn’t overshadow the good work Miss Urraro’s done for children and adults in the medical field.

Both DeVuono and Urraro were charged with one count of forgery in the second degree, while DeVuono was hit with an additional charge of offering a false instrument for filing in the first degree. 

“As nurses, these two individuals should understand the importance of legitimate vaccination cards as we all work together to protect public health,” said SCPD Commissioner Rodney K. Harrison in the release. “This is another example of great investigative police work by the SCPD, and I commend District Attorney Tierney for his partnership.”