A California-licensed homeopathic doctor is facing wire fraud and false statement charges after allegedly selling homeoprophylaxis immunization pellets and falsifying COVID-19 vaccination cards to make it appear that patients received the Moderna vaccine, the Justice Department said July 14.
Juli Mazi, 41, was arrested July 14 on charges of wire fraud and false statements related to healthcare matters. In April, HHS' Office of Inspector General received a complaint from someone who said family members had purchased homeoprophylaxis immunization pellets from Ms. Mazi, who claimed the pellets contained the COVID-19 virus and would create an antibody response in their immune systems, according to the news release.
The person who made the complaint told OIG that their family did not receive injections for any of the three FDA-authorized COVID-19 vaccines, but Ms. Mazi sent them COVID-19 vaccination record cards and allegedly told them to mark the cards to falsely state that they received the Moderna vaccine on the date they ingested the COVID-19 homeoprophylaxis immunization pellets.
The customers were given specific Moderna vaccine lot numbers to enter onto the cards with instructions on how to select the purported dates on which they had received the Moderna vaccines to ward off any suspicion, according to the Justice Department.
Prior to the pandemic, Ms. Mazi offered homeoprophylaxis immunizations for childhood illnesses that she falsely claimed would meet the immunization requirements for California schools, and falsified immunization cards that were submitted by parents to California schools, the Justice Department said. Homeoprophylaxis involves exposing an individual to small amounts of a disease to stimulate an immune response and achieve immunity, according to the report.
The complaint alleges that Ms. Mazi used the pandemic to expand her preexisting immunization scheme by selling the pellets that she falsely claimed would provide "lifelong immunity to COVID-19."