A Wisconsin pharmacist has agreed to plead guilty to charges filed in federal court today for attempting to render hundreds of doses of COVID-19 vaccine ineffective.
According to court documents filed in U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Wisconsin, Steven R. Brandenburg (46) of Grafton, Wisconsin, is charged with two counts of attempting to tamper with consumer products with reckless disregard for the risk of another person is put at risk of death or bodily injury. Brandenburg agreed to plead guilty to the charges, each of which imposed a maximum sentence of ten years in prison.
As outlined in court documents, while working as a hospital pharmacist in Grafton, Wisconsin, on two consecutive shifts at the end of December, he deliberately removed a box of COVID-19 vaccination tubes manufactured by Moderna – which, in specific cold temperatures must be stored. remain viable – from the hospital’s refrigeration unit which intends to make the vaccines inert and no longer effective. According to the plea agreement, Brandenburg stated that he was skeptical about vaccines in general and the Moderna vaccine in particular. Brandenburg has been sharing its beliefs about vaccines with its associates for at least the past two years.
After the vaccines were left out of account for several hours each night, Brandenburg returned the vaccines to the refrigerator for use the next day in the hospital’s vaccination clinic. Before the full extent of Brandenburg’s action was discovered, 57 people had received doses of the vaccine.
“Tampering with vaccine doses in the midst of a global health crisis calls for a strong response, as reflected by the serious charges brought by the United States today,” said Brian Boynton, acting assistant attorney general. “The Department of Justice will continue to work with its law enforcement partners to ensure the public receives safe and effective vaccinations.”
“The spread of the COVID-19 vaccine is crucial to overcoming this pandemic, which is still ending the lives of our economy,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew D. Krueger. “As these charges indicate, the Department of Justice will pursue anyone – and especially any medical professional – who may tamper with the vaccine.”
“The FDA has ensured that the Modern COVID-19 vaccine meets the stringent requirements of the Agency for Quality, Safety and Efficiency,” said Catherine A. Hermsen, FDA Assistant Commissioner for Criminal Investigations. “Those who scientifically tamper with this vaccine endanger the health of American patients. Today’s announcement should serve as a reminder that this kind of illegal tampering will not be tolerated. ”
“Pharmacists are among the most trusted professionals,” said FBI Special Agent Milwaukee Robert Hughes. ‘This person used his special access to tamper with the vials of the much-needed COVID-19 vaccine. The FBI takes the allegations of tampering with consumer products very seriously and will use all available resources to bring to justice those who willfully endanger the health of the public. ”
This case is being investigated by the Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Criminal Investigations, the Milwaukee Field Office of the FBI and the Village of Grafton Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin C. Knight of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, and senior litigation attorney Ross S. Goldstein and Attorney Rachel Baron of the Department of Justice’s. Consumer Protection Division.
The allegations made in the information are allegations that, if the case were to be heard, the government would have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt to convict the accused. The plea agreement expresses the defendant’s intention to be guilty, but the defendant has not yet formally made a plea in this matter.
Additional information on the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement can be found at www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch. Visit the Web site at www.justice.gov/usao-edwi for more information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Wisconsin. Visit www.justice.gov/coronavirus for information on the Justice Department’s efforts to stop COVID-19 fraud. For the most recent information on COVID-19, consumers can visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) websites.