Canadian millionaire, wife face possible jail time over alleged COVID-19 vaccine fraud
They were caught posing as motel workers
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A Canadian millionaire and his wife could face up to six months in jail after they were caught posing as motel workers to receive the COVID-19 vaccine from a mobile clinic, according to reports.
Casino owner Rodney Baker, 55, and his wife, Ekaterina, 32, flew from Vancouver to Beaver Creek, home to mostly Indigenous people who live in smaller populations. Individuals in the Yukon Territory, where Beaver Creek is located, do not need identification to get vaccinated.
The couple were discovered for their alleged fraud after receiving the injections and then asking to immediately be flown home, according to the BBC. Locals checked the motel where the couple claimed to work and discovered they did not work there.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Ekaterina Baker (IMDB)
The couple was fined $2,300 Canadian ($1,800 U.S.) for breaching coronavirus rules, but community elders have demanded a tougher penalty.
Courts ordered a hold on the couple’s airplane tickets home and for the Bakers to appear in court. If found guilty, the couple could face up to six months in jail, The Guardian reported.
"I am outraged by this selfish behavior," Yukon's Community Services Minister John Streicker said. "We had not been imagining that someone would go to this sort of length to mislead or deceive."
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The Bakers have already been charged with failing to self-isolate for 14 days after travel and violating Yukon’s Civil Emergency Measures Act.
They are due to appear in court on May 4.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fox News' Vandana Rambaran contributed to this report.