Wisconsin Pharmacist Charged for Spoiling COVID-19 Vaccine

Wednesday, January 20th, 2021 -- 2:00 PM

(AP) Prosecutors have charged a Wisconsin pharmacist accused of spoiling COVID-19 vaccine with misdemeanor property damage.

Online court records indicate Steven Brandenburg was charged Tuesday in Ozaukee County Circuit Court. Police arrested Brandenburg on Dec. 31 as part of an investigation into 57 spoiled vials of Moderna vaccine at Advocate Aurora Health in Grafton, about 20 miles north of Milwaukee.

Investigators believe Brandenburg intentionally removed the vials from refrigeration and didn’t replace them.  Detectives wrote in court records that Brandenburg is an admitted conspiracy theorist and was convinced the vaccines would mutate people’s DNA.

The ruined vials contained enough doses to inoculate more than 500 people.

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