This document provided by the Hawaii Attorney General's Office shows a fake COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card from a tourist visiting Hawaii. The Illinois woman submitted the fake card to avoid Hawaii's 10-day traveler quarantine, according to authorities, but there a glaring spelling error that led to her arrest: Moderna was misspelled "Maderna." (Hawaii Attorney General's Office via AP)
By Jennifer Sinco Kelleher
A 24-year-old Illinois woman submitted a fake COVID-19 vaccination card to visit Hawaii with a glaring spelling error that led to her arrest: Moderna was spelled “Maderna," according to court documents.
In order to bypass Hawaii's 10-day traveler quarantine, she uploaded a vaccination card to the state's Safe Travels program and arrived in Honolulu Aug. 23 on a Southwest Airlines flight, the documents said.
“Airport screeners found suspicious errors ... such as Moderna was spelled wrong and that her home was in Illinois but her shot was taken at Delaware,” Wilson Lau, a special agent with the Hawaii attorney general's investigation division, wrote in an email to a Delaware official who confirmed there was no vaccination record for the woman under her name and birth date.
The email is included in documents filed in court. She was charged with two misdemeanor counts of violating Hawaii's emergency rules to control the spread of COVID-19. She had been in custody on $2,000 bail until a judge released her at a hearing Wednesday and scheduled another hearing in three weeks, according the public defender's office.
State Public Defender James Tabe, whose office represented her at hearings this week, declined to comment on her case, noting it's not clear if she'll hire her own attorney or apply to have a public defender represent her.
The voicemail at a number listed for her in court documents was full Wednesday. She didn't immediately respond to a text message from The Associated Press.
In addition to the suspicious card, authorities determined that the travel information she provided listed she would be staying at a Waikiki Holiday Inn but didn't include a reservation number and return flight information, court documents said.
An assistant manager at the hotel confirmed to Lau that she didn't have a reservation. Lau said in the court document that he tried to call the number she listed, but her voicemail was full. He said he emailed her and didn't get a response.
Lau said he searched for her on Facebook and found a photo showing a “distinctive tattoo on her left hip area.”
The tattoo helped authorities find her at a Southwest Airlines counter when she was trying to leave Honolulu on Aug. 28, the court document said. She showed her ID and vaccination card to Lau, who informed her she was being arrested for falsifying vaccination documents.
Other visitors to Hawaii have been arrested for fake vaccination cards, including a father and son from California, who appeared in court via Zoom Wednesday and waived their rights to a jury trial.
Two murder trials in focus in America — Wisconsin V. Kyle Rittenhouse and Georgia V. Travis Mcmichael, Gregory Mcmichael, and William Bryan, the Men who killed Ahmaud Arbery. Civil rights and criminal defense lawyer Anthony Tall and the Founder and CEO of Kim Crowder consulting Kim Crowder, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
Mike Johnson, an alum of both "The Bachelorette" and "Bachelor in Paradise," joined Cheddar's "Between Bells" to talk about life after being part of the reality TV franchise, what it's like watching the new season as a viewer, and once again closed the door on the chance that he would return for another stint. He also provided some background on a new partnership with PepsiCo's Neon Zebra beverage.
Protect The Sacred is an organization aiming to educate and empower the next generation of Native leaders. Allie Young, the founder of the organization, joins Cheddar News' All Hands to discuss how she's helping communities amid the Covid-19 pandemic and her initiative called Ride to the Polls.
The holiday season is here and it’s time to prepare your home for a season of cozy hibernating and cheery holiday hosting. David Steckel, Home Expert at Thumbtack, joins 'Your Future Home' to discuss how maximizing where we live, work, and play has taken on a whole new meaning, and now we’re investing in our homes like never before.
On this episode of 'Your Future Home', Howard Dvorkin, CPA and Chairman of Debt.com, breaks down everything you need to know about buying a home as an unmarried couple or any partner; The holiday season is here and it’s time to prepare your home for a season of cozy hibernating and cheery holiday hosting. David Steckel, Home Expert at Thumbtack, discusses how maximizing where we live, work, and play has taken on a whole new meaning, and now we’re investing in our homes like never before; Cheddar breaks down everything you need to know about identifying and getting rid of clutter in your home.
Howard Dvorkin, CPA and Chairman of Debt.com, joins 'Your Future Home' to break down everything you need to know about buying a home as an unmarried couple or with any partner.
On this episode of ChedHER: Founding Partner of Space Hero explains how she's creating a global competition to send someone on a 10-day trip to space; Founder of My Social Canvas and Boss Beauties discusses the significance of the Boss Beauties NFTs being displayed at the New York Stock Exchange; Head of Digital Products & Channels at Chase breaks down small steps to improve your finances.
Deborah Sass, CO-CEO and Founding Partner of Space Hero, joins ChedHER to discuss how she's creating a global competition to send someone on a 10-day trip to space, her experience in the space industry without a background in STEM, and how she hopes to inspire younger generations of women.
Lisa Mayer, Founder of My Social Canvas and Boss Beauties, joins ChedHER to discuss the significance of the Boss Beauties NFTs being displayed at the New York Stock Exchange, and how she hopes to empower the next generation of women in the NFT and crypto space.
Sonali Divilek, Head of Digital Products & Channels at Chase, joins ChedHER to discuss what consumers can learn from the Chase Challenge, and easy ways that people can tidy up their finances this holiday season.
