CA Bar Owner Accused Of Selling Fake Coronavirus Vaccine Cards

CLEMENTS, CA — Todd Anderson, the 59-year-old owner of a small-town bar in California's Central Valley, was arrested after he was accused of selling fake coronavirus vaccination cards this week.

He was arrested Tuesday by agents with the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control and charged with three felony crimes, including identity theft, forging government documents and carrying an unregistered firearm, according to the agency. In addition, he was charged with falsifying medical records, which is a misdemeanor. The agency is also investigating another employee of the saloon.

Authorities said the case is the first of its kind in the Golden State, the Washington Post reported.

"It is disheartening to have members in our community show flagrant disregard for public health in the midst of a pandemic," San Joaquin County District Attorney Tori Verber Salazar said. "Distributing, falsifying or purchasing fake COVID-19 vaccine cards is against the law and endangers yourself and those around you."

The agency said it will also file disciplinary action against the bar — the Old Corner Saloon.

"Disciplinary action can include a suspension or revocation of the ABC license," ABC agents said in a statement.

The FBI also recently warned the public that selling fake vaccination cards with a government logo on them is a crime.

The Old Corner Saloon has been operating in Clements since the early 1980s. Anderson, originally from Minnesota, wrote that the local watering hole is "a real tribute to society," on the bar's website.

"It’s a clean, safe place to come have fun and it still has the old country saloon atmosphere,” Anderson wrote on the website. “It’s the finest drinking establishment in the west; that’s my tag line."