Former NY Nurse Fined $544,000 for Fake Vaccine Records on 162 Children

New York’s health department issued a record $544,000 civil penalty to Julie DeVuono, a former Amityville nurse practitioner, for falsifying immunization records of 162 children between November 2019 and January 2022. The fine is the largest vaccine-fraud penalty in the state’s 125-year history. DeVuono had already pleaded guilty in 2023 to criminal charges related to selling $1.5 million in fake COVID-19 vaccination cards.

How the scheme worked

DeVuono, who operated Wild Child Pediatric Center in Amityville, gave children homeopathic pellets instead of vaccines but recorded them as real immunizations in New York’s electronic registry. She charged parents $85 per fake pediatric vaccine card. She also received free vaccine shipments from the CDC but discarded them in the trash after charging customers $220 to $350 per adult card.

Criminal consequences already imposed

In 2023, DeVuono pleaded guilty to forgery and money laundering. She lost her nursing licenses, received 840 hours of community service, five years of probation, and agreed to forfeit $1.2 million. Investigators seized about $900,000 in cash from her home and found ledgers showing profits exceeding $1.5 million from the fake card operation. Two co-defendants, licensed practical nurse Marissa Urraro and receptionist Brooke Hogan, reached a secret agreement to testify against her.

Why false records in state databases pose unique risks

Unlike forged paper cards, fraudulent entries in New York’s immunization registry (NYSIIS) create systemic dangers. Physicians rely on the registry to track vaccination histories, schools use it to verify immunization requirements, and health departments consult it during disease outbreaks. When records are false, officials may assume children are protected when they are not, complicating outbreak investigations and leaving vulnerable populations exposed. The state spent two years identifying and correcting DeVuono’s inaccurate entries affecting children from Long Island, New York City, and the Hudson Valley.

State’s message to healthcare providers

Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said in a statement that New York has zero tolerance for falsifying vaccination records. Vaccine-fraud expert Arthur Caplan, a retired bioethics professor at NYU’s Grossman School of Medicine, called the penalty significant. He said the fine sends a deterrent message to healthcare providers considering similar schemes. Measles, polio, and other diseases targeted by childhood vaccines killed thousands of children annually before vaccines existed.

Final Thoughts

The $544,000 penalty marks the largest vaccine-fraud fine in New York’s history and signals the state’s commitment to protecting public health. DeVuono’s case shows that falsifying records in state databases poses greater systemic risk than paper forgery alone, affecting outbreak response and vulnerable populations statewide.

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