A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City, Utah returned an indictment on January 11, 2023 charging a Utah plastic surgeon, his medical corporation, and three co-defendants, including his neighbor, with conspiracy to defraud the United States by issuing fake CDC COVID-19 vaccination record cards to fraudulent vaccine card seekers.
According to court documents, Dr. Michael Kirk Moore Jr., 58, of Salt Lake County, Utah and his co-defendants, listed below including his neighbor, ran a scheme out of Plastic Surgery Institute of Utah Inc. to defraud the United States and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The defendants allegedly destroyed at least $28,028.50 worth of government-provided COVID-19 vaccines, and distributed at least 1,937 doses’ worth of fraudulently completed vaccination record cards to others in exchange for either direct cash payments or required “donations” to a specified charitable organization, without administering a COVID-19 vaccine to the card recipient.
As charged in court documents, defendants also administered saline shots to minors – at the request of their parents – so children would think they were receiving a COVID-19 vaccine.
“By allegedly falsifying vaccine cards and administering saline shots to children instead of COVID-19 vaccines, not only did this provider endanger the health and well-being of a vulnerable population, but also undermined public trust and the integrity of federal health care programs,” said Curt L. Muller, Special Agent in Charge with the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General. “HHS-OIG remains committed to working with our law enforcement partners to hold accountable bad actors who attempt to illegally profit from the pandemic.”
“This defendant allegedly used his medical profession to administer bogus vaccines to unsuspecting people, to include children falsifying a sense of security,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Chris Miller, HSI Las Vegas.
“HSI remains committed to working with our partners to bring those who seek to take advantage of the pandemic to deliberately harm and deceive others for their own profit to justice.”
Plastic Surgery Institute of Utah, Inc., Michael Kirk Moore Jr., Kari Dee Burgoyne, 52, Kristin Jackson Andersen, 59, and Sandra Flores, 31, are charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States; conspiracy to convert, sell, convey, and dispose of government property; and conversion, sale, conveyance, and disposal of government property and aiding and abetting. The defendants are scheduled for their initial appearance January 26, 2023, at 2 P.M. in courtroom 8.4.
U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins for the District of Utah made the announcement.
The Office of Inspector General, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS-OIG), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys, Todd C. Bouton, Jacob Strain, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Sachiko Jepson, for the District of Utah are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Salt Lake City, Utah – U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Utah – For Immediate Release, Wednesday, January 18, 2023. Updated January 18, 2023. Release Number: 23-04.