Jason C. Olderbak, 35, of Grand Island has been put on probation, fined and ordered to serve community service for possession of fraudulent COVID-19 vaccination cards. Olderbak purchased the fraudulent cards online in 2021.
Olderbak was sentenced June 21 to two years' probation, 50 hours of community service and must pay $3,000 for "unlawful possession of official U.S. insignia," U.S. Attorney Steven Russell and Taekuk Cho, acting special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Kansas City announced June 28. Senior U.S. District Judge John M. Gerrard, U.S. District Court, District of Nebraska, handed down the sentence, the news release states.
"On or about July 30, 2021, Olderbak purchased approximately 21 fraudulent COVID-19 vaccination cards online," the press release states. "On Aug. 3, 2021, U.S. Customs and Border Protection received the package as it entered the United States from overseas. Recognizing it as similar to many fraudulent packages, officials opened it and discovered the fraudulent vaccine cards."
HSI investigators were issued a search warrant to "perform a controlled delivery" of the package and executed the warrant Aug. 18, 2021, the release reports. Olderbak's electronic devices, including his cell phone, were seized during the investigation. An examination of the devices uncovered a web history indicating the purchase of fraudulent vaccination cards, according to the release.
ICE reports in the release that the cards Olderbak ordered online and received from an overseas source were "nearly identical" to official COVID-19 vaccination cards produced in the U.S. Legitimate vaccination cards, which have the seal of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), are sent with the vaccine directly to medical professionals. The cards shipped to Olderbak had a CDC seal, according to the release.
The case was investigated by HSI Kansas City-Grand Island. HSI is the primary investigative branch of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and is in charge of investigating transnational crime and threats that take advantage of the global infrastructure for finance, trade and travel, according to the release.
"HSI’s workforce of more than 8,700 employees consists of more than 6,000 special agents assigned to 237 cities throughout the United States, and 93 overseas locations in 56 countries," the release reports. "HSI’s international presence represents DHS’s largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement."