Juli Mazi.Photo: Dr. Juli Mazi ND/Facebook
A naturopathic doctor in California faces federal charges for allegedly falsifyingCOVID-19vaccination cards and selling pellets she claimed without evidence would provide “lifetime immunity” to the disease, PEOPLE confirms.
According to a statement from the Department of Justice, 41-year-old Juli A. Mazi was arrested Wednesday on one count of wire fraud and one count of false statements related to health care matters.
The case is the first federal criminal fraud prosecution related to fraudulent COVID-19 vaccination cards.
Federal authorities allege they received a tip about Mazi in April. A person came forward and informed officials Mazi had allegedly sold homeoprophylaxis pellets to members of their family.
Mazi, the statement adds, told clients that the pellets contained the COVID-19 virus, and that they would create an antibody response in the immune system.
Along with the pellets, Mazi allegedly provided clients with COVID-19 vaccination cards. Mazi also allegedly instructed the clients to fill out the cards, and with what dates, to falsely reflect that they had received both doses of the Moderna vaccine.
She allegedly told her customers the pellets provided “lifelong immunity to COVID-19.”
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In addition, authorities allege “Mazi further stated that her customers could provide the pellets to children for COVID-19 immunity, and that the ‘dose is actually the same for babies.'”
PEOPLE was unable to reach Mazi for comment.
Though developing COVID-19 after getting fully vaccinated is rare, some infections within a large population are possible and “expected,“the Centers for Disease Control say, as the vaccines are not 100% effective against the virus. Those cases —called breakthrough infections— are typically asymptomatic, and fully vaccinated people aremuch better protected against severe illness from COVID-19that could lead to hospitalization or death. Only a tiny fraction of fully vaccinated people, around 0.00003%, have been hospitalized with COVID-19, according to the CDC.
It was unclear Friday if Mazi had entered pleas to the charges, or had an attorney who could comment on her behalf.
Multiple large-scale studies have found that vaccines are safe.There is no scientific link between vaccines and autism, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
source: people.com
