Chicago Pharmacist Tangtang Zhao Charged With Selling COVID-19 Vaccine Cards On E-Bay

CHICAGO (CBS) -- A Chicago pharmacist has been charged will allegedly selling more than 100 COVID-19 vaccination cards on e-Bay.

According to court documents, in March and April 2021, Tangtang Zhao, 34, of Chicago, sold 125 authentic CDC vaccination cards to 11 different buyers for approximately $10 per card. Zhao was a licensed pharmacist in Illinois and was employed at a pharmacy that distributed and administered COVID-19 vaccines.

Zhao, federal prosecutors say, obtained and subsequently offered authentic CDC vaccination cards for sale online. The indictment charges Zhao with 12 counts of theft of government property.

"We take seriously, and will vigorously investigate, any criminal offense that contributes to the distrust around vaccines and vaccination status," said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. of the Justice Department's Criminal Division.

"Knowingly selling COVID vaccination cards to unvaccinated individuals puts millions of Americans at risk of serious injury or death," said Special Agent in Charge Emmerson Buie Jr. of the FBI's Chicago Field Office. "To put such a small price on the safety of our nation is not only an insult to those who are doing their part in the fight to stop COVID-19, but a federal crime with serious consequences."

Zhao made his initial court appearance on Aug. 17 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sheila M. Finnegan of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. If convicted, he faces a sentence of 10 years in prison per count.