Utah doctor charged with destroying COVID-19 vaccines, giving fake shots to children at their parents' request
Dr. Michael Kirk Moore, three others accused of administering bogus CDC vaccine cards in exchange for $50 'donations'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A Utah plastic surgeon has been accused of destroying COVID-19 vaccines -- and giving saline shots to children upon their parents’ request – as part of an alleged scheme to peddle fraudulent CDC cards.
Dr. Michael Kirk Moore Jr., 58, of Salt Lake County, Utah, was indicted by a federal grand jury this month on charges alleging he disposed of more than $28,000 worth of COVID-19 vaccines and fraudulently completed and distributed hundreds of vaccination record cards.
Prosecutors say Moore and his three co-defendants, including his neighbor, allegedly ran a scheme Plastic Surgery Institute of Utah Inc. to "defraud the United States and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The doctor and co-defendants Kari Dee Burgoyne, 52, Kristin Jackson Andersen, 59, and Sandra Flores, 31, destroyed at least $28,028.50 worth of government-provided COVID-19 vaccines and distributed at least 1,937 doses’ worth of fraudulently completed vaccination record cards to others in exchange for either direct cash payments or required "donations" to a specified charitable organization, without administering a COVID-19 vaccine to the card recipient, U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins for the District of Utah announced on Wednesday.
On the left, Dr. Kirk Moore is seen in a 2014 photo on his Facebook page. On the right, a file image shows seized counterfeit CDC Covid-19 vaccination record cards in an unrelated case. (Facebook/Getty Images)
As charged in court documents, the defendants also allegedly administered saline shots to minors – at the request of their parents – so children would think they were receiving a COVID-19 vaccine.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The indictment, obtained by Fox News Digital Sunday, says Moore, a then-board-certified surgeon, and his neighbor, Andersen, belong to a secret organization that aims to "‘liberate’ the medical profession from government and industry conflicts of interest." They joined forces with Burgoyne, the office manager, and Flores, the receptionist, to pour the legitimate vaccines down the drain with syringes, according to the indictment. They allegedly charged a $50 "donation" per fake vaccination card.
The American Board of Plastic Surgery tells Fox News Digital that Moore is no longer certified as of Dec. 31.
A nurse fills out a Centers for Disease Control (CDC) vaccine record card at an L.A. Care Health Plan vaccination clinic at Los Angeles Mission College in the Sylmar neighborhood in Los Angeles, California, January 19, 2022. (ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images)
"By allegedly falsifying vaccine cards and administering saline shots to children instead of COVID-19 vaccines, not only did this provider endanger the health and well-being of a vulnerable population but also undermined public trust and the integrity of federal health care programs," Curt L. Muller, Special Agent in Charge with the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General, said in a statement. "HHS-OIG remains committed to working with our law enforcement partners to hold accountable bad actors who attempt to illegally profit from the pandemic."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"This defendant allegedly used his medical profession to administer bogus vaccines to unsuspecting people, to include children falsifying a sense of security," Acting Special Agent in Charge Chris Miller, HSI Las Vegas added. "HSI remains committed to working with our partners to bring those who seek to take advantage of the pandemic to deliberately harm and deceive others for their own profit to justice."
A photo of a hand using a magnifying glass to check the authenticity of s Covid-19 vaccine card, taken on August 15, 2021. (Raychel Brightman/Newsday RM via Getty Images)
The quartet was indicted by a federal grand jury on Jan. 11.
Moore, his medical corporation, and the three co-defendants are charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States; conspiracy to convert, sell, convey, and dispose of government property; and conversion, sale, conveyance, and disposal of government property and aiding and abetting.
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Their initial court appearance is scheduled for Jan. 26.
As of June 2022, the CDC has recommended COVID-19 vaccines for children as young as six months old. While anyone can contract COVID-19, older adults and the elderly are the most at risk of developing dangerous symptoms, according to Mayo Clinic.