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COVID-19

DOJ Dismisses Charges Against Plastic Surgeon Accused of Selling Fake COVID-19 Vaccination Cards

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Saturday that the Department of Justice (DOJ) has dismissed charges against plastic surgeon Michael Kirk Moore, who was accused of selling hundreds of fake COVID-19 vaccination cards, destroying nearly 2,000 doses of the vaccine, and injecting minors with saline shots at their parents' request. The charges were dismissed at Bondi's direction, with Bondi citing Moore's decision to provide patients with a choice when the federal government refused to do so. Moore, his medical corporation Plastic Surgery Institute of Utah, and three others were indicted by a federal grand jury in early 2023 for conspiracy to defraud the U.S. and two other charges.

Key Takeaways:

  • The DOJ dismissed charges against Michael Kirk Moore, a certified plastic surgeon in Utah, who was accused of selling fake COVID-19 vaccination cards, destroying nearly 2,000 doses of the vaccine, and injecting minors with saline shots at their parents' request.
  • Moore, his medical corporation Plastic Surgery Institute of Utah, and three others were indicted by a federal grand jury in early 2023 for conspiracy to defraud the U.S. and two other charges.
  • Attorneys representing Moore asserted that the plastic surgeon would have succeeded in court and said the decision to dismiss reflects evidence showing his innocence.
  • Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Georgia, wrote to the DOJ asking for the charges to be dropped and was credited by Bondi for bringing the case to her attention.
  • The dismissal lands among several recent actions from federal agencies undercutting the government's prior supportive stance on COVID-19 vaccines and vaccination's broader role in public health.
  • Moore's case has been a focal point for conservatives critical of the COVID-19 pandemic response under President Joe Biden as well as others more broadly skeptical of vaccination.

Statistics:

  • At least 2,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine were destroyed as part of the alleged scheme.
  • The group provided fraudulent vaccine records to others "in exchange for direct cash payments or directed donations of $50 per person per occurrence" to an unspecified charity with ties to a private organization seeking to 'liberate' the medical profession from government and industry conflicts of interest.
  • Moore and his codefendants faced up to 35 years in prison if convicted.
  • The alleged scheme ran at least from May 2021 through September 2022.

Sources:

  • Saturday social media post by Attorney General Pam Bondi.
  • Unsealed indictment by a federal grand jury in early 2023.
  • Monday court documents showing the charges against Moore, the Plastic Surgery Institute of Utah, and Kris Anderson have been dismissed.
  • Statements to press by attorneys representing Moore.
  • Tweet by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Georgia.
  • April social media post by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

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