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.
Haley Taylor Schlitz graduated from her Texas homeschooling high school program at just 13 years old. At age 19, she became the youngest black woman ever to graduate from law school. Schlitz joins Cheddar News to share how she did it all.
As AAPI Heritage Month comes to a close, Azia Celestino caught up with the stars at Gold House’s inaugural gala. Attendees shared their hopes for Asian and Pacific Islander representation beyond May.
With the baby formula in the United States surging to an out-of-stock rate of 70 percent, the FDA has given Abbott permission to reopen its Michigan plant amid the crisis and authorized foreign imports. Professor Peter Pitts, a former FDA associate commissioner and current president of the Center for Medicine in the Public Interest, joined Cheddar News to discuss the ongoing shortage and its wide impact. “As difficult as things is in urban areas, they’re even worse in small communities and tribal areas where parents can't just go to the next store on the corner," he said. Pitts also noted that the Abbott factory was a "disaster" prior to its shutdown and that it would have been "regulatory malpractice" to have left it open.
Modeled after traditional Taiwanese night markets that founder John Wang experienced growing up, the market showcases the borough it calls home and the diversity Queens is known for.
New real estate data shows that mortgage applications are slipping but home listings are increasing 9 percent from a week ago. It comes as sellers worry they might miss out on the hot housing market before it's too late. Skylar Olsen, Senior Director, Principal Economist, at Tomo joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss.
Gas prices are at record highs just as many Americans are getting ready to hit the road for memorial day weekend. The average price for a gallon of gas is now $4.59, with all 50 states above $4 per gallon. Dan Eberhart, CEO of Canary, has tips on how to save money and ease some of the pain at the pump.
While many Americans of South Asian descent hold prominent positions in America, they are rarely seen in mainstream media. Simi Shah tells Cheddar News that’s why she decided to start her own podcast featuring prominent South Asian Americans highlighting their professional journey.
Sad new details emerge after this week's school shooting in Uvalde, Texas and former President Trump and two of his children have been told to testify. Here is everything you Need2Know for Friday, May 27, 2022.
