Pharmacist convicted of stealing and selling hundreds of COVID vaccination cards

A pharmacist in Chicago has been found guilty of selling dozens of authentic COVID-19 vaccination cards on eBay.

A jury convicted Tangtang Zhao, 34, of theft of government property. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 28 and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

Zhao was a licensed pharmacist in Illinois and was employed by a national pharmacy chain that administered coronavirus shots and distributed vaccination cards to recipients, according to his indictment. 

Over three weeks in March and April of 2021, Zhao posted listings for over 650 COVID-19 vaccination cards that he advertised as “authentic” and “straight from the CDC,” referring to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

He sold 630 cards to about 200 buyers, who paid Zhao more than $5,600, according to prosecutors.