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A former Wisconsin pharmacist who intentionally destroyed more than 500 doses of COVID-19 vaccine has been sentenced to three years in prison.
By The Associated Press
June 8, 2021, 5:25 pm
• 2 minutes to read
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Milwaukee — A former pharmacist in Wisconsin was sentenced Tuesday to intentionally destroying more than 500 doses of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Stephen Brandenburg, 46, of Grafton, pleaded guilty in February to two criminal charges related to attempting to tamper with a consumer product. He admitted to intentionally removing Moderna’s potions from the refrigerator for hours at Aurora Medical Center in Grafton, just north of Milwaukee.
Brandenburg said in a statement before receiving the verdict that he felt “extremely ashamed” and took responsibility for his actions. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that he has apologized to his co-workers, family and community.
Aurora destroyed most of the tampered doses, but not before 57 people received vaccinations from the supplies. These doses are still believed to be effective, but weeks of uncertainty created a storm of anger, anxiety and pain among the recipients, according to court documents.
Prosecutors demanded three years and five months in prison. Brandenburg faced a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison with a $250,000 fine for each felony.
Brandenburg is a recognized conspiracy theorist who believes he is a prophet and that vaccines are the product of Satan. He also proclaimed his belief that the Earth was flat and that the 9/11 terrorist attacks were fake.
Brandenburg also secretly replaced the flu vaccine with the saline he was assigned to receive and persuaded several of his co-workers to secretly switch the flu vaccine as well, according to court filings.
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