Vance: Patchogue clinic worker charged in scheme to sell bogus vaccine cards

A worker at a Patchogue medical clinic was among two charged Tuesday by Manhattan prosecutors for allegedly selling fake COVID-19 vaccination cards to essential workers in hospitals and other health care facilities.

The scheme, according to a statement by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr., involved for an additional fee of $250 the fraudulent entry of the names of the card purchasers into the New York State immunization information system.

Charged in the case were Nadayza Barkley, 27, of Bellport, and Jasmine Clifford, 31, of Lyndhurst, New Jersey. Barkley, according to a criminal complaint filed in the case against her, worked at the North Ocean Medical Group in Patchogue. She is accused of entering the names of at least 10 individual purchasers of the fake cards into the state database.

North Ocean Medical Group wasn’t accused of wrongdoing and officials there weren’t available for comment late Tuesday.

Clifford is accused of selling approximately 250 forged vaccination cards over an Instagram account and working with Barkley to get the names of the card recipients entered into the state database, Vance said.

More than a dozen card recipients who worked in essential jobs such as hospitals and health care establishments were also charged. The recipients charged in the case were mostly New York City residents with one having a mailing address in Suffolk County, according to court records.

A spokesperson for Vance said Clifford had not yet been taken into custody as of late Tuesday after an arrest warrant had been issued. Barkley and six alleged buyers were arraigned Tuesday morning and released on their own recognizance.

According to the criminal complaint filed against Barkley, she allegedly received payments from Clifford to make the entries into the state vaccination database. The database is one way patients who legitimately received COVID-19 vaccinations can have that status registered so employers and others can make a verification. Public officials at all levels of government have pushed for people to get COVID-19 shots, and as seen in New York City, have made it a condition for entry into indoor eateries, gyms and other indoor activities. Health workers are also required to be inoculated in most circumstances.

In his statement, Vance said he was committed to going after purveyors of fake vaccination cards but called for social media companies to play a more active role.

"We will continue to safeguard public health in New York with proactive investigations like these," Vance said, "but the stakes are too high to tackle fake vaccination cards with whack-a-mole prosecutions."

Vance called on companies like Facebook, which owns Instagram, to take action to prevent fakes.

Clifford and Barkley each were charged with fifth-degree conspiracy and offering a false instrument for filing, both misdemeanors, Vance said. The alleged card buyers face charges of criminal possession of forged instruments, which is a Class D felony, officials said.

By Anthony M. DeStefano

tony.destefano@newsday.comtonynewsday

Anthony M. DeStefano has been a reporter for Newsday since 1986 and covers law enforcement, criminal justice and legal affairs from its New York City offices.