Chicago pharmacist charged with selling authentic COVID-19 vaccine cards on eBay

Federal authorities say a licensed pharmacist was arrested Tuesday in Chicago for selling dozens of authentic COVID-19 vaccination cards on eBay.

Tangtang Zhao, 34, of Chicago, is charged with 12 counts of theft of government property, according to the Justice Department.

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

Zhao sold 125 of those cards to 11 buyers for a total of more than $1,200, according to prosecutors.

“Knowingly selling COVID vaccination cards to unvaccinated individuals puts millions of Americans at risk of serious injury or death,” said Emmerson Buie Jr., special agent in charge of the FBI’s Chicago field office. “To put such a small price on the safety of our nation is not only an insult to those who are doing their part in the fight to stop COVID-19 but a federal crime with serious consequences.”