A former Long Island nurse, Julie DeVuono, was fined over $544,000 by New York’s Department of Health—the agency’s largest penalty ever—for falsifying vaccine records for 162 children.

In a 2023 plea, she admitted selling more than $1 million worth of fake COVID-19 vaccine cards and surrendered nursing licenses, forfeiting over $1.2 million in proceeds as part of five years of probation.

Authorities say she earned about $1.5 million from the scheme and laundered funds, including repaying a mortgage on a home shared with her NYPD officer husband.

The health department deleted the false immunization records, forcing affected families to obtain proof of immunization from other providers to participate in school.

Two co-defendants, Marissa Urraro and Brooke Hogan, initially charged, secretly agreed to testify against DeVuono.

Officials described the case as an abuse of authority that exploited public fears during the COVID-19 shutdown for personal enrichment.

The department stresses zero tolerance for falsifying vaccination records, with ongoing updates as the case develops.

Prosecutors noted DeVuono laundered nearly $237,000 to pay down the mortgage on her shared home.

She targeted 162 parents between late 2019 and early 2022, charging $220–$350 per adult dose and $85 for children, while destroying real vaccines.

Investigators found hundreds of standard pediatric vaccinations were falsely reported as administered across multiple regions of New York.

She operated Wild Child Pediatric Center in Amityville and received free vaccine doses from the CDC, which she fraudulently labeled on cards.

The penalty followed an administrative ruling that she falsified records for multiple diseases beyond COVID-19, including diphtheria, measles, mumps, polio, and rubella.