Julie DeVuono, former nurse practitioner, gets historic $544,000 state penalty for falsifying pediatric vaccine records

Key Points:

• Julie DeVuono, a former nurse practitioner from Amityville, was fined over $500,000 by New York's health department for falsifying immunization records of 162 children, marking the largest vaccine-fraud penalty in the agency's history.
• DeVuono admitted to giving homeopathic pellets instead of actual vaccines and falsely recording them in the state's immunization registry, primarily targeting children whose parents opposed vaccinations for diseases like measles, mumps, and polio.
• The investigation began after schools reported suspicious vaccine records following the end of New York's religious exemption for vaccines in 2019, revealing DeVuono suddenly reported thousands of vaccinations she had not previously documented.
• The health department's penalty aims to deter fraudulent vaccine practices that endanger children's lives, with experts highlighting the severity of the fine as a strong message against profiteering from vaccine fraud.
• DeVuono previously lost her nursing licenses in 2023 after pleading guilty to selling fake COVID-19 vaccine cards, and although she denied the current charges, she failed to provide evidence verifying the administration of the vaccines in question.