Amityville Nurse Practitioner Caught in COVID-19 Vaccine Forgery and Drug Scam, Faces Jail Time and $1.2 Million Forfeiture

Julie DeVuono Also Filed Fake Prescriptions and Must Forfeit Over $1.2 Million

An Amityville nurse practitioner who forged COVID-19 vaccination record cards and laundered the proceeds has been sentenced, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney announced today. Julie DeVuono, 51, will serve six months in jail and five years of probation following her guilty plea in September 2023. She also surrendered her nursing licenses and agreed to forfeit over $1.2 million in profits from her criminal activities.

From June 15, 2021, to January 27, 2022, DeVuono sold forged COVID-19 vaccination record cards, falsely entering the information into the New York State Immunization Information System (NYSIIS). Customers were charged $220 in 2021 and $350 in 2022 for the false entries. DeVuono laundered the proceeds through multiple accounts and transactions, including paying off the mortgage on her  Amityville home.

The investigation also revealed that DeVuono submitted false prescriptions for oxycodone from February 2019 to August 2021 for individuals who were not her patients, including relatives.

On September 15, 2023, DeVuono and her corporation, “Kids-On-Call Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, P.C.,” pleaded guilty to charges including money laundering, forgery, and offering a false instrument for filing. DeVuono’s corporation also faced substantial fines and forfeitures.

As part of her plea agreement, DeVuono surrendered her professional licenses and shut down her pediatric office, “Wild Child Pediatric Healthcare.” She must also complete 840 hours of community service in lieu of jail time, pay $15,000 in fines, and her corporation faces additional fines of $510,000.

“This defendant abused her power as a nurse by submitting forged COVID-19 vaccination records and fraudulent prescriptions,” said DA Tierney. “As part of her plea, my office required that the defendant surrender her nursing licenses and forfeit over $1.2 million in profits from her criminal enterprise.”

Photo: SCDA.