Fake COVID-19 Vaccine Cards: Owings Mills Man Charged With Fraud

BALTIMORE, MD — An Owings Mills man has been charged by criminal complaint with federal mail fraud after prosecutors said he sold fake COVID-19 vaccination cards.

Amar Salim Shabazz, 23, purchased more than 600 fake vaccination cards from a foreign online marketplace and had them shipped to his home in Owings Mills, officials said.

Shabazz advertised the cards on social media and distributed some using UPS, according to the U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland.

On his social media accounts, he offered $75 for each fake COVID-19 vaccination card.

He also posted videos of the cards, prosecutors said, and commented: “I SELL PROOF OF VACCINATION CARDS" on an August article about Baltimore city bars and restaurants requiring proof of vaccination.

Since August, authorities said U.S. Customs and Border Patrol officers have seized thousands of fraudulent COVID-19 vaccination cards from mail and carrier facilities. Most originate from Asia and have false labels, according to prosecutors.

One package headed to Shabazz was delayed at U.S. Customs and Border Protection in mid-August, which prompted him to search the phrase “customs inspection packages VACCINATION cards” and a video called “FBI investigating fake vaccination cards.”

He placed another order for cards, with his cell phone number associated with it, that was delivered to his home Aug. 31 and addressed to "ACE BOOGIE," officials said. Afterward, he sold the fake COVID-19 vaccination cards for $70 a card and sent them through the mail, according to authorities.

Prosecutors said several of his customers who live outside Maryland spoke with investigators, who recovered the fake COVID-19 vaccination cards.

When officers searched his basement in October, they reported finding a to-do list Shabazz made for himself after he was released from jail in April following a child pornography conviction.

"Hire a lawyer and get tips of what not to do when getting money illegally" was on the list, which prosecutors said was entitled: "Things I’m doing when I get out (updated).”

On Oct. 2, the day after his residence was searched, Shabazz deleted his email account and researched how to delete information from the foreign marketplace site, officials said.

Shabazz appeared in U.S. District Court in Baltimore Friday.

He faces a maximum of 20 years for each mail fraud count and obstruction of justice. Prosecutors said most actual sentences for federal crimes are less than the maximum penalties.

The case in Owings Mills is among many being adjudicated nationwide. The Attorney General created the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force in May to combat pandemic-related fraud.

People can report pandemic-related fraud online through Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud or by calling its hotline at 866-720-5721.