Columbia nurse charged with faking COVID-19 vaccine cards faces up to 35 years in prison
COLUMBIA — A former top nurse at a Columbia nursing and rehabilitation center is facing federal charges on accusations of creating fake COVID-19 vaccination cards.
Tammy McDonald, 53, also is accused of lying to agents from the FBI and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services about her involvement, according to an indictment.
A federal grand jury indicted McDonald on Nov. 23, and the indictment was unsealed Dec. 2. The charges against McDonald are the first criminal prosecution in South Carolina for fabrication of vaccination cards, federal authorities said.
McDonald pleaded not guilty to two charges relating to fabricating vaccination cards and another for lying to investigators.
McDonald created one or two fake cards for a family member who is a student at the University of South Carolina, her attorney Jim Griffin told Post and Courier Columbia. He declined to provide the identity of the student who received the vaccination card.
Griffin said the charges against McDonald were isolated incidents. McDonald wasn’t engaged in a widespread scheme to distribute false vaccination cards, and she didn’t fabricate the card for profit, he said.
“She had a very good job, and she’s a caring nurse,” Griffin said. “What she’s charged with here is out of character for her. This is not a side business of hers by any stretch of the imagination.”
McDonald’s LinkedIn profile states she started a job in April 2021 as director of nursing services at PruittHealth Columbia. McDonald is no longer employed at PruittHealth and was working for a travel nursing agency at the time of her indictment, Griffin said.
She faces up to 35 years in prison for the charges, with 15 years each for producing fraudulent vaccine cards and and five years for lying to federal agents.
McDonald was arraigned Dec. 2 at the federal courthouse in Columbia and granted a $10,000 bond.
McDonald is accused of filling out two vaccination cards on June 20 and July 28 for people she knew were not vaccinated, Acting U.S. Attorney Rhett DeHart said in a statement. She is accused of lying to FBI and HHS agents when questioned on Oct. 22, DeHart said.
“Although the indictment speaks for itself, creating fraudulent or fake vaccine cards for those who have not been vaccinated poses a direct threat to the health of the people of South Carolina,” DeHart said.
- By Casey Darnell cdarnell@postandcourier.com
- Dec 3, 2021
COLUMBIA — A former top nurse at a Columbia nursing and rehabilitation center is facing federal charges on accusations of creating fake COVID-19 vaccination cards.
Tammy McDonald, 53, also is accused of lying to agents from the FBI and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services about her involvement, according to an indictment.
A federal grand jury indicted McDonald on Nov. 23, and the indictment was unsealed Dec. 2. The charges against McDonald are the first criminal prosecution in South Carolina for fabrication of vaccination cards, federal authorities said.
McDonald pleaded not guilty to two charges relating to fabricating vaccination cards and another for lying to investigators.
McDonald created one or two fake cards for a family member who is a student at the University of South Carolina, her attorney Jim Griffin told Post and Courier Columbia. He declined to provide the identity of the student who received the vaccination card.
Griffin said the charges against McDonald were isolated incidents. McDonald wasn’t engaged in a widespread scheme to distribute false vaccination cards, and she didn’t fabricate the card for profit, he said.
“She had a very good job, and she’s a caring nurse,” Griffin said. “What she’s charged with here is out of character for her. This is not a side business of hers by any stretch of the imagination.”
McDonald’s LinkedIn profile states she started a job in April 2021 as director of nursing services at PruittHealth Columbia. McDonald is no longer employed at PruittHealth and was working for a travel nursing agency at the time of her indictment, Griffin said.
She faces up to 35 years in prison for the charges, with 15 years each for producing fraudulent vaccine cards and and five years for lying to federal agents.
McDonald was arraigned Dec. 2 at the federal courthouse in Columbia and granted a $10,000 bond.
McDonald is accused of filling out two vaccination cards on June 20 and July 28 for people she knew were not vaccinated, Acting U.S. Attorney Rhett DeHart said in a statement. She is accused of lying to FBI and HHS agents when questioned on Oct. 22, DeHart said.
“Although the indictment speaks for itself, creating fraudulent or fake vaccine cards for those who have not been vaccinated poses a direct threat to the health of the people of South Carolina,” DeHart said.
