Colorado man arrested after selling fake vaccine cards to at least four federal agents
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More than two years into the pandemic and some people still haven’t learned right from wrong. Despite the number of arrests in connection to and warnings that selling fake vaccine cards is illegal, some people, especially Trump supporters, continue to do so. In the most recent incident of selling fraudulent vaccine cards to the Feds, a Colorado man identified as Robert Van Camp was arrested on Tuesday. Van Camp faces a charge of conspiracy to defraud the United States in a federal court with an investigation spanning multiple states. He is accused of running a business that sold cards in several states.
“It was the purpose of the conspiracy for Van Camp, Co-Conspirator-1, and their co-conspirators to (a) fraudulently obstruct the government’s administration and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines and the government’s federal employee vaccination mandate,” the arrest complaint stated.
Van Camp was arrested after allegedly selling fake COVID-19 vaccination cards to at least four undercover agents after obtaining an electronic copy of a blank card. Prosecutors said Van Camp carried out the scheme with a co-conspirator who had a top-secret security clearance. His partner has been unidentified in court records.
“Pretty fucking nice, huh? I call them a work of art,” Van Camp told an undercover federal agent who was pretending to buy cards.
To another agent, Van Camp bragged about selling hundreds of cards, including in “Honduras, Costa Rice, Canada, France, Turks and Caicos, twelve different states, so my cards are fucking worldwide.”
“I mean, these things are gold,” he said, noting he sold some for over $170 each.
In efforts to hide his business, prosecutors said, Van Camp referred to the cards by code names and told buyers to do the same, calling them “gift cards.” His scheme lasted over a year.
According to court documents, Van Camp claimed he was making and selling the cards because of vaccination requirements.
”I’m not making cards ’cause I’m bored, I’m making cards ’cause I’m in the middle of a fucking war and I, and I have a lot of guns and ammo, like an arsenal,” he told one of the undercover agents, according to the court document.
Since the start of the pandemic, people have been creating fake vaccine cards in an attempt to make a quick buck off those individuals unwilling to follow safety precautions. Daily Kos reported multiple warnings issued by the FBI noting that fraudulent cards not only increase the risk of COVID-19, but that both buying and selling the fraudulent cards is illegal and could be charged as forgery. Making or buying counterfeit vaccine cards violates federal laws and can result in heavy fines and imprisonment.
According to CNBC, after announcing charges against two people in California who allegedly raised more than $140 million by falsifying COVID-19 tests, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Wednesday that criminal cases against 19 other defendants are in process. Van Camp was amongst the defendants, many of whom were medical professionals. He was noted as the one who bragged about selling vaccine cards to Olympic athletes.
“And like I said, I’m in 12 or 13 states, so until I get caught and go to jail, fuck it. I’m taking the money!” he said according to court records. “I don’t care, I’ve saved a thousand lives.”
Seems like he is going to care now that he has been caught. Saving lives, though? Who is he kidding?