A Delaware man has been charged with a federal misdemeanor by prosecutors who say he manufactured and sold fake vaccine cards over the internet.
David Hodges, who court documents describe as a paramedic and resident of or near Lewes, was charged earlier this month with selling vaccination cards without proper authorization.
Hodges, who court documents indicate was born in 1991, devised the scheme in February 2021 to sell the cards to those who had not received a legitimate vaccination, a prosecutor wrote in charging documents.
He printed fake vaccine card templates from another state’s health department website. He also worked at a Dover facility where the vaccine was being administered. Court documents do not indicate the specific vaccination site or sites where Hodges worked.
Once he had access to that local vaccine site, he took blank vaccination cards from the site, prosecutors alleged.
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Vaccine cards contain a number identifying the specific type and batch of the vaccine received. After identifying a buyer, Hodges would look up sites near that person’s residence in order to forge more accurate vaccine batch numbers for the fake card.
He would then mail them in return for a fee, the amount of which was not disclosed in court documents. In all, federal authorities say Hodges generated approximately $1,300 from selling the fake cards. Court documents indicate that prosecutors say the scheme went on through June 2021.
He was charged earlier this month and issued a summons. He had not answered the charges in court documents as of Wednesday.
Court documents indicate he is due in federal court in February to enter a plea and potentially be sentenced. The federal crime prosecutors charged Hodges with carries a maximum of six months imprisonment and a potential $250,000 fine.
A New York attorney listed as representing Hodges in court documents declined comment.
Contact Xerxes Wilson at (302) 324-2787 or xwilson@delawareon
