Justice Department Drops Charges Against Utah Doctor Accused of COVID-19 Vaccination Fraud
The Justice Department has dismissed charges against a Utah physician alleged to have swindled nearly $100,000 from individuals seeking fake COVID-19 vaccination records, while also discarding thousands of legitimate vaccine doses.
On Saturday, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced her decision to revoke the case against Dr. Michael Kirk Moore, who faced charges including conspiracy to defraud the government. Bondi argued that the potential 35-year prison sentence Moore was facing was unwarranted.
In a post on X, Bondi stated, “At my direction, @TheJusticeDept has dismissed charges against Dr. Kirk Moore.” She emphasized that Moore offered his patients alternatives when the federal government did not and asserted that he did not deserve the lengthy imprisonment he was facing.
Moore, along with two employees and a neighbor, had been charged in 2023 for distributing over 1,900 fraudulent COVID-19 vaccination records from his clinic, the Plastic Surgery Institute of Utah Inc., in exchange for almost $97,000 or donations.
Prosecutors alleged that Moore, a board-certified plastic surgeon, administered saline shots to children whose parents requested them instead of the actual vaccine, subsequently providing falsified vaccination cards.
According to the indictment, which was obtained by The Post, Moore and his neighbor, Kristin Jackson Anderson, purportedly participated in a covert initiative aimed at “liberating the medical profession from government and industry conflicts of interest.”
To facilitate their scheme, they collaborated with office manager Kari Dee Burgoyne and receptionist Sandra Flores to destroy $28,000 worth of vaccines supplied by the government, the prosecution claimed.
The quartet, along with the medical establishment, faced charges including conspiracy to defraud the United States and conspiracy to convert and dispose of government property.
It remains unclear whether the charges against the other individuals implicated in the purported conspiracy have also been dismissed.
The Justice Department’s decision comes just days after jury selection was scheduled to begin for Moore’s two-week trial in Salt Lake City.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has faced scrutiny for his views on vaccines and promotion of unverified treatments, publicly backed Moore in April, stating he "deserves a medal for his courage and his commitment to healing."
Acting U.S. Attorney for Utah, Felice John Viti, filed a motion on Saturday asserting that the dismissal of the case serves the “interests of justice.”
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