A naturopathic doctor located in Napa, California, has been arrested and accused of selling fake COVID-19 pills and providing bogus immunization cards as well.
The Department of Justice for the Northern District of California announced that 41-year-old Juli A. Mazi, a California-licensed homeopathic doctor was arrested on Wednesday for an alleged scheme to sell “homeoprophylaxis immunization pellets.” She was also arrested for falsifying COVID-19 vaccination cards for customers looking for proof of vaccination.
Mazi, 41, of Napa, has been charged with one count of wire fraud and one count of false statements related to healthcare matters. The case is the first federal criminal fraud prosecution related to homeoprophylaxis immunizations and fraudulent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) COVID-19 vaccination record cards.
“This defendant allegedly defrauded and endangered the public by preying on fears and spreading misinformation about FDA-authorized vaccinations, while also peddling fake treatments that put people’s lives at risk. Even worse, the defendant allegedly created counterfeit COVID-19 vaccination cards and instructed her customers to falsely mark that they had received a vaccine, allowing them to circumvent efforts to contain the spread of the disease,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco in a written statement. “The Department of Justice and its law enforcement partners are committed to protecting the American people from fraudsters during this national emergency. This commitment is evident in this prosecution as well as in the ongoing work of the Department and our agency partners in the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force established by the Attorney General earlier this year.”
Based on filed paperwork, back in April 2021, someone complained to the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) hotline that some family members bought some COVID-19 homeoprophylaxis immunization pellets from Mazi.
Bad Beside Manner
The complainant stated that the family members informed them that Mazi said the pellets contained the COVID-19 virus and would create an antibody response in the immune system. None of the family members received any injections of any of the three FDA-authorized COVID-19 vaccines. But, along with giving the family members the pellets, Mazi sent them COVID-19 Vaccination Record cards, in which Moderna was the listed vaccine. Mazi allegedly told the family members to mark the cards to falsely state that they received the Moderna vaccine on the date that they took the COVID-19 homeoprophylaxis immunization pellets.
“Steering through the challenges presented by COVID-19 requires trust and reliance on our medical professionals to provide sage information and guidance,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Stephanie Hinds for the Northern District of California. “According to the complaint, instead of disseminating valid remedies and information, Juli Mazi profited from unlawfully peddling unapproved remedies, stirring up false fears, and generating fake proof of vaccinations. We will act to protect trust in the medical developments that are enabling us to emerge from the problems presented by the pandemic.”
“Spreading inaccurate or false medical information about COVID-19 for personal gain, as the complaint alleges, is dangerous and only seeds skepticism among the public,” said Special Agent in Charge Craig D. Fair of the FBI’s San Francisco Field Office. “As the government continues to work to provide current and accurate information to help slow the spread of COVID-19, the FBI will continue to pursue those who attempt to fraudulently profit from spreading misinformation and providing false documentation.”
