Charges: Nurses made $1.5 million off fake vaccination cards

Two nurses on New York's Long Island have been accused of forging bogus COVID-19 vaccination cards and pocketing more than $1.5 million from the scheme

AMITYVILLE, N.Y. -- Two nurses on Long Island are accused of forging COVID-19 vaccination cards and pocketing more than $1.5 million from the scheme, prosecutors and police said.

Julie DeVuono, the owner of Wild Child Pediatric Healthcare in Amityville, and her employee, Marissa Urraro, are both charged with felony forgery, and DeVuono also is charged with offering a false instrument for filing. Both were arraigned Friday.

Messages seeking comment were left Saturday with their lawyers.

Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney said DeVuono and Urraro handed out fake vaccination cards, charging $220 for adults and $85 for children. DeVuono, a nurse practitioner, and Urraro, a licensed practical nurse, entered the false information into the state's immunization database, he said.