‘Reprehensible.’ Three Vermont troopers accused of faking COVID vaccine cards resign

Three Vermont State Police troopers have resigned after they allegedly created fake COVID-19 vaccination cards, the department announced Tuesday.

Shawn Sommers and Raymond Witkowski resigned Aug. 10, a day after another trooper “raised concerns with supervisors,” according to a news release. The third trooper involved in the investigation, David Pfindel, resigned Sept. 3.

Col. Matthew Birmingham, director of Vermont State Police, said he “could not be more upset and disappointed” at what he called “an extraordinary level of misconduct.”

“If these allegations are proved to be true, it is reprehensible that state troopers would manipulate vaccination cards in the midst of a pandemic, when being vaccinated is one of the most important steps anyone can take to keep their community safe from COVID-19,” Birmingham stated in the release.

It’s unclear why the troopers allegedly made the cards or to whom they shared them with. The FBI has taken over the investigation, and state police said the troopers could be in violation of federal law.

Vermont Gov. Phil Scott announced in August that “some state employees who work with vulnerable people would be required to get vaccinated, but it is unclear if the State Police are in that category,” according to ABC News.

Birmingham added that he was embarrassed by the situation. Michael Schirling, Vermont public safety commissioner, said he believes there is nothing further state police could have done to prevent the incident from occurring.

“As soon as other troopers became aware of this situation, they raised the allegations internally, and commanders took swift and decisive action to hold these individuals accountable and report this matter to federal authorities,” Schirling said in the release.

Pfindel became a member of the Vermont State Police in 2014, and Sommers and Witkowski joined the department in 2016.

Attorneys General in 45 states signed a letter in April to CEOs of Twitter, Shopify and eBay stating their deep concern about the use of their websites to market and sell fake COVID-19 vaccine cards.

“The use of your platforms to disseminate the deceptive marketing and sales of fake vaccine cards is a threat to residents of our states,” they said. “As a result, we are asking you to take immediate action to prevent your platforms from being used as a vehicle to commit these fraudulent and deceptive acts that harm our communities.

The FBI warned unvaccinated Americans in March they should not buy fake vaccine cards or make their own vaccine cards. The unauthorized use of an official government agency’s seal is a crime, the FBI added.

This story was originally published September 8, 2021 at 9:48 AM with the headline "‘Reprehensible.’ Three Vermont troopers accused of faking COVID vaccine cards resign."