The suspect is accused of trying to damage more than 500 doses.
The Wisconsin pharmacist accused of trying to destroy more than 500 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine was charged with a misdemeanor while the investigation continues, officials said.
Prosecutors also said at a hearing in the Ozaukee County Court on Tuesday that Stephen Brandenburg’s alleged efforts, including the removal of 57 vials of the Modern vaccine from or near December 24, may not have succeeded. make them useless.
Brandenburg, 46, confessed to the authorities that he had “intentionally removed” the vaccine bottles on two separate occasions “with the aim of allowing the vaccine to stay outside the temperature range so that it would not be effective,” according to the complaint.
The Modern vaccine must be refrigerated at temperatures between 36 degrees and 46 degrees Fahrenheit or is at risk of losing potency, according to the company.
According to the police, Brandenburg was “an admitted conspiracy theorist”. The criminal complaint alleges that he tried to ruin vaccines “because everything he researched led him to believe that the vaccine was not safe for people and altered their DNA”.
There is absolutely no evidence that COVID-19 vaccines affect a person’s DNA. The Moderna and Pfizer vaccines use mRNA technology that introduces a small portion of the virus’s genetic code to teach the body to fight the real virus, without altering a person’s DNA in any way, according to Gavi of the Vaccine Alliance.
Brandenburg’s lawyer filed a plea of guilty plea for his client’s misdemeanor for attempting criminal damage to property. The lawyer did not immediately return requests for comment from ABC News.
If convicted, Brandenburg, who was released on bail on January 4, could face up to nine months in prison and be fined a maximum of $ 10,000. His next hearing is March 18.
The severity of any punishment for Brandenburg could depend on how many doses of vaccine were actually rendered useless.
Fifty-seven of the compromised doses were administered at the time they were found to be ineffective, Aurora Health Care Medical Group President Jeff Bahr said at a news conference last month. The recipients of these doses have been notified.
After initial reports that the remaining vials of the potentially spoiled vaccine were destroyed, prosecutors clarified that these vials were hijacked for further testing.
Ozaukee County District Attorney Adam Gerol had to postpone Brandenburg’s accusation after laboratory experts said they needed more time. Gerol said on Tuesday that Moderna is still conducting tests, but “the best evidence at this point is that the vaccine remains viable”.
“If something happens, there is a possibility that the charges will change,” Gerol said during the hearing. “I hope to know something in the coming weeks.”
Each of the 57 vials, which contain 10 doses of the vaccine, is valued at $ 11,000, the police estimated.
The Wisconsin Pharmacy Council voted last week to suspend Brandenburg’s license pending the outcome of their criminal case and the council’s disciplinary process. He became a licensed pharmacist in 1997.
Brandenburg handed four firearms to police officers and was ordered not to work as a pharmacist as part of his release agreement. He was also ordered not to leave the state without court approval.