Arrest Warrant Issued For Woman Accused Of Having Fake COVID-19 Vaccination Card In Hawaii, After She Misses Virtual Court Hearing
HONOLULU (CBS) -- An arrest warrant has been issued in Hawaii for an Oak Lawn woman who is accused of having a counterfeit COVID-19 vaccine card, after authorities said she missed her virtual court hearing.
Authorities told CBS 2's Marissa Parra that Chloe Mrozak, 24, was released from jail recently on charges that she tried to pass a fake COVID vaccination card that had "Moderna" misspelled as "Maderna." But she was supposed to appear via Zoom for a court hearing Wednesday, and she missed it, authorities said.
She now has a $500 bench warrant for her arrest in Hawaii.
Mrozak arrived in Hawaii Monday, Aug. 23 after uploading the fake vaccine card to avoid the state's mandatory 10-day quarantine, authorities said.
State investigators arrested Mrozak when she went to the airport two days earlier for her flight home. Investigators were able to identify Mrozak based on a distinctive tattoo on her hip, which authorities found on her Facebook profile.
She had ignored attempts by authorities to contact her about her suspect COVID card during her six-day stay. A screener at the airport had raised concerns about the authenticity of Mrozak's vaccine record, but she was allowed to leave the airport. An administrator later contacted Special Agent Wilson Lau with the state attorney general's office with suspicion that Mrozak's card was fraudulent.
In an affidavit, Lau said he attempted to contact Mrozak by phone and email she provided on the form that travelers fill out when entering the state. He also found that Mrozak did not have a reservation at the hotel she put on the travel form.
The one big mistake was that Moderna is spelled wrong on the card, as "Maderna." It also said she got the shot in Delaware, but Lau said the state had no record of her vaccination.
Lau said Mrozak also gave false information about her return flight, stating she was returning on American Airlines when, in fact, she had purchased a round-trip ticket on Southwest. She was arrested at the Southwest gate, with a boarding pass.
In Hawaii, using falsified proof of testing or vaccination documents for travel into the state is a misdemeanor that carries a fine of up to $5,000 and/or imprisonment of up to one year for each count.