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Zhao, 36, is on trial on charges he sold nearly 700 authentic CDC-issued COVID-19 vaccination cards on eBay at the height of the pandemic crisis in 2021, cards that he’d pilfered from a patient immunization room at the South Side Walgreens where he worked.An indictment filed in U.S. District Court in August 2021 charged Zhao with 12 counts of theft of government property, which carry a maximum of 10 years prison for each count.
“These were valuable cards, and in that value, the defendant saw opportunity,” Yanz said. “An opportunity to seize on fear.” “It’s a reminder,” Snyder said. “A reminder to go back and get your second vaccine and to remember what you got.” Over the next three weeks, Zhao created 37 different listings and sold a total of 658 cards, upping the price at least six times along the way, Yanz said. In all, he netted about $5,000.