Did you know that creation or possession of a falsified COVID-19 vaccination card is now a crime under New York law? Governor Kathy Hochul has signed what’s called the “Truth in Vaccination” law, which amended the New York Penal Law (Sec. 175) to include vaccine cards within the definition of “written instruments” – meaning a person in possession of a fake COVID-19 vaccination card can be charged with criminal possession of a forged instrument, a crime punishable by up to one year in prison. The New York law amendment also targets the falsification of a person’s on-line COVID-19 vaccination status, making it a felony to intentionally alter computer material to falsely document that an individual was vaccinated against COVID-19. It is already a federal crime to create, sell or buy false COVID-19 vaccine cards, which are distributed to vaccine providers by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
