A Waterbury woman waived her right to be prosecuted and pleaded guilty to a felony count of perjury stemming from her creation of false COVID-19 vaccine records for multiple people, according to federal authorities.
Zaya Powell, 25, pleaded guilty this week to one count of making a false statement related to a health care matter, which carries a sentence of up to five years in prison, according to federal authorities. U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer in New Haven scheduled sentencing for Nov. 4. Powell is free on $25,000 bond pending sentencing.
Federal authorities said, citing court documents and court statements, that Powell worked as a data entry specialist for Griffin Health Services Corp. and traveled to the state’s COVID-19 vaccination sites operated by Griffin Health.
Powell did not administer vaccines, but had access to Griffin Health’s electronic health record system and “stacks of blank COVID-19 vaccination cards,” federal authorities said in a statement. In addition, Powell had access to the Vaccine Administration Management System, also known as VAMS, a Centers for Disease Control database used to track vaccines, according to the release.
“Between August and October 2021, Powell created fraudulent vaccination records at VAMS for 14 different individuals,” the statement said. “Records indicated that each of the 14 individuals had received a single dose of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccination at a Griffin Health location when, in fact, none had received any COVID-19 vaccine from Griffin Health or from any other health care provider.”
Powell entered each person’s name and date of birth into VAMS to create the fake cards, federal authorities said in the statement. “He also created fraudulent COVID-19 vaccination cards for each of the 14 and distributed the fraudulent cards to the individuals or their family members or co-workers.”
The fake cards also “included batches of genuine vaccines that were administered to other Griffin Health patients.”
Federal authorities said four of the 14 people who received the fake vaccination cards Powell created were state employees who worked at the Southbury Training School, a state Department of Developmental Services facility in Southbury. The four employees were required to be vaccinated because of their positions and allegedly sought out and used the fake vaccination cards Powell created, and the fake VAMS entries he made, “to falsely document that they had received a vaccination against the COVID-19”, the federal statement. said
