Wisconsin pharmacist Steven Brandenburg was sentenced to three years in prison Tuesday for attempting to ruin over 500 COVID-19 doses.
Brandenburg, 46, worked as a pharmacist at the Advocate Aurora Health Center in Grafton, Wisconsin. He pleaded guilty in February to two counts of attempting to tamper with consumer products, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).
Brandenburg told authorities earlier this year that he intentionally removed over 500 Moderna vaccines from the refrigerator to spoil its effectiveness. (RELATED: Pharmacist Who Spoiled Coronavirus Vaccines Was Conspiracy Theorist, Thought The World Was ‘Crashing Down’, Prosecutor Says)
In addition to the three-year sentence, Brandenburg is required to pay $83,000 in damages to Advocate Aurora Health Center, according to the DOJ.
“The purposeful attempt to spoil vaccine doses during a national public health emergency is a serious crime,” Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian Boynton of the Department of Justice’s Civil Division said in the press release. “The Department of Justice will continue working with its law enforcement partners to safeguard these life savings vaccines.”
Wisconsin pharmacist sentenced to 3 years in prison for tampering with COVID-19 vaccine doses https://t.co/9Oi4pIZ17c
— CBS News (@CBSNews) June 8, 2021
Brandenburg successfully administered 57 of the 500 Moderna vaccines he attempted to ruin, according to ABC.
Before receiving his final sentencing, Brandenburg told the court that he felt “great shame” and apologized for his behavior, according to the Associated Press. Brandenburg is also a conspiracy theorist, and claims the 9/11 terrorist attacks were a hoax and that the Earth is flat.
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