The DOJ just announced that Kathleen Breault, a midwife at Sage-Femme Midwifery PLLC (Sage-Femme), has pleaded guilty to conspiring to defraud the United States and its departments and agencies. Breault’s guilty plea came after she admitted her role in a scheme that involved distributing over 2,600 fraudulent COVID-19 vaccination record cards.
According to the DOJ, Breault worked at Sage-Femme which was an authorized COVID-19 vaccine administration site in Albany, New York during the pandemic. Sage-Femme, while a small midwife practice, was one of the busiest Johnson & Johnson vaccination sites in New York. Breault and her co-conspirators destroyed COVID-19 vaccines and distributed the corresponding vaccination records to minors ineligible to be vaccinated. They also provided fraudulent COVID-19 vaccination cards to Canadian citizens who were not even present in the United States during their alleged vaccinations. During the pandemic, the State of New York tracked COVID-19 vaccine distribution, and Breault and her co-conspirators made false entries into New York’s tracking database in furtherance of their scheme.
Breault and four other individuals were initially indicted in April 2023 for their roles. Breault now faces up to five years in prison and is scheduled to be sentenced on September 18th. Breault has also agreed to pay more than $37,000 in restitution for the destroyed vaccines. While the pandemic has ended, it is clear the Government will continue to pursue actions against individuals who it contends illegally profited from the public health emergency.
The attorneys at Chilivis Grubman represents clients of all sizes and types in white-collar criminal investigations and PPP investigations. If you need assistance with such a matter, please contact us today.