Kaylee Greenlee
The owner of Old Corner Saloon in Clements, California, was arrested and charged for allegedly selling fake COVID-19 vaccine cards, California state officials announced Wednesday.
California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) officials received a complaint that the saloon owner was selling fake vaccination cards and opened an investigation in April, according to the agency. Undercover ABC agents allegedly purchased fraudulent vaccination cards from the Old Corner Saloon on multiple occasions in April, the agency said.
“Agents arrested the owner of the business on allegations of selling the fraudulent cards,” a California ABC Spokesperson told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “He was booked at the local county jail on charges of violating Penal Code Section 471.5 (altering a medical record), Penal Code Section 472 (forgery of a public seal), Penal Code Section 530.5 (identity theft), and Penal Code Section 182(a) (conspiracy).”
The owner of the Old Corner Saloon was arrested for selling fake vaccination cards and officials recovered a loaded unregistered firearm during the arrest leading to a felony charge, according to the California ABC. The agency is also seeking a criminal complaint against another employee, though no additional details were provided.
“It is disheartening to have members in our community show flagrant disregard for public health in the midst of a pandemic,” San Joaquin County District Attorney Tori Verber Salazar said in a statement. “Distributing, falsifying or purchasing fake COVID-19 vaccine cards is against the law and endangers yourself and those around you. The San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office is grateful for the partnership with the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control for their work in this case.”
California ABC officials worked with San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office and District Attorney’s Office officials to execute a search warrant at the business and found materials used to distribute the fake vaccination cards, the California ABC reported.
A disciplinary action will be filed against the business which can include a suspension or revocation of the saloon’s ABC license, according to the agency.
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