Florida couple are arrested for 'showing fake COVID-19 vaccination cards at Hawaii airport screening'
A Florida couple have been arrested after allegedly presenting fake COVID vaccination cards to airport staff when they arrived for a vacation in Hawaii.
Enzo Dalmazzo, 43, and Daniela Dalmazzo, 31, were arrested on August 11 - shortly after they arrived in Honolulu with their two children.
Hawaii state law requires visitors to either provide proof of vaccination or proof of a negative COVID test taken no more than 72 hours before arriving in the state.
The couple allegedly gave officials vaccination cards for themselves and their two children.
But a TSA agent became suspicious about the children's vaccination cards because they would have been too young to get the shot.
One was born in 2016 and the other was born in 2017, while COVID vaccines have not yet been approved for children under the age of 12.
'The screener at the airport when they came through noticed an anomaly about the age of the children and the vaccines,' Special Agent Joe Logan with the Hawaii Attorney General's Office told NBC Miami. 'And that's how we got involved.'
Enzo Dalmazzo, 43, and Daniela Dalmazzo, 31, were arrested on August 11 - shortly after they arrived in Honolulu, when a TSA agent became suspicious of their children's vaccination cards
According to court documents obtained by NBC Miami, Enzo has been charged with one count of presenting false documents and Daniela has been charged with three counts - two of which relate to the children.
It is unclear why the mother received more charges than the father.
They were released on a combined $8,000 bail - a $2,000 bail for Enzo and a $6,000 bail for Daniela.
Their arrest marks the second known case of visitors using fake vaccine cards to enter the state in just the past week.
On Sunday, police also arrested Norbert Chung, 57 and Trevor Chung, 19, after they allegedly used fake vaccine cards to evade the travel restrictions and fly from California to Hawaii without being vaccinated.
Under Hawaii state law, visitors must either submit a vaccination card or a negative COVID test no more than 72 hours before arriving in the state
Travelers to Hawaii do not necessarily have to be vaccinated.
Under Hawaii state law, visitors must either submit a vaccination card or a negative COVID test no more than 72 hours before arriving in the state.
Falsifying a vaccine card in the state is a misdemeanor that can result in a fine of up to $5,000 or up to a year in prison - or both.
The FBI also warns that making or using a fake vaccination card is a federal offense.
'Airport screeners are constantly on guard for falsified test results or vaccination documentation, screening thousands of travelers arriving daily through Hawaii’s airports,' Gary Yamashiroya, special assistant to the attorney general, said in a statement to the Honolulu Civil Beat.
'The Department of the Attorney General works collaboratively with other governmental partners to keep Hawaii safe from COVID and will investigate and prosecute those attempting to dishonestly bypass the Safe Travels program.'
Requiring proof of vaccination is a growing part of Hawaii’s efforts to stop the spread of the virus.
Governor David Ige announced last week that anyone who would like to throw large events must present mitigation plans to stop the spread - including possibly requiring a proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test to attend - in order to receive a permit.
The state is facing an uptick in COVID cases, with a 7.6 percent positivity rate.
There were 752 new cases reported across the islands on Wednesday, mainly among those 18 to 44 years old, according to the state's Disease Outbreak Control Division, and over the past two weeks, there have been 8,662 new cases.
On August 11, when the couple was arrested, 743 cases were related to community spread, according to state data, with five non-resident cases and 393 of an unknown origin.
By August 17, there were 632 cases of unknown origin, with 47 related to community spread.
Meanwhile, 61.6 percent of the state has completed their COVID vaccine, higher than the percentage of all Americans who have received a full COVID vaccine dose, at 51.1 percent on Wednesday, per the CDC.
About 60 percent of all Americans have received at least one dose, as the country faces an uptick in cases, with 157,694 new cases reported throughout the nation Wednesday and 37 million new cases reported over the course of the past month.
The death rate, though, appears to remain relatively low - with 1,054 new deaths reported on Wednesday and just over 600,000 deaths over the past month, as the CDC warns community transmission is still relatively high.
On August 13, US Border Patrol agents in Memphis, Tennessee announced they had confiscated 121 packages containing more than 3,000 fake vaccine cards that were sent throughout the country from Shenzen, China
But still, authorities report, people are buying fake vaccination cards for anywhere between $25 to $200 to evade state and local laws.
The cards are given free to people when they get the COVID vaccination, which is also free.
On August 13, officials with the U.S. Border Control announced they seized thousands of fake vaccination cards printed with the CDC logo on them passing through Memphis.
They said they had confiscated 121 packages originating from Shenzen, China with destinations all over the country, containing more than 3,000 of these fake cards.
Sometimes the manifests would describe the shipments as 'Paper Greeting Cards/Use for-Greeting Card' and sometimes they were described as 'PAPER PAPER CARD,' but, agents said, they were always from China and came in packs of 20, 51, or 100.
The agents realized the cards were fake, they said, because they were not sent from the CDC or another medical organization - and included misspellings, unfinished words, and incorrect Spanish translations.
'These vaccinations are free and available everywhere,' Michael Neipert, the director of the CBP Port in Memphis, said in a statement.
'If you do not wish to receive a vaccine, that is your decision. But don't order a counterfeit, waste my officers' time, break the law and misrepresent yourself.'
He added that his office will 'remain committed to stopping counterfeit smuggling and helping to protect our communities.
'But just know that when you order a fake vax card, you are using my officers' time as they also seize fentanyl and methamphetamines.'