DOJ drops charges against Utah surgeon accused of injecting fake COVID-19 shots and destroying $28K of real vaccines
Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Saturday that she directed her department to drop the case against Dr. Michael Kirk Moore, who had been charged with conspiracy to defraud the government and other offenses, arguing that he 'did not deserve' the 35-year prison sentence he was facing.
'At my direction @TheJusticeDept has dismissed charges against Dr. Kirk Moore,' Bondi posted on X.
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3 AG Pam Bondi directed the Justice Department to drop charges against Dr. Kirk Moore.
AFP via Getty Images
'Dr. Moore gave his patients a choice when the federal government refused to do so. He did not deserve the years in prison he was facing. It ends today.'
Moore, along with two of his staffers and a neighbor, was initially charged in 2023 for distributing at least 1,900 fake COVID-19 vaccination records from his Plastic Surgery Institute of Utah Inc. office in Midvale in exchange for nearly $97,000 or donations.
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Prosecutors alleged that Moore, a board certified plastic surgeon, injected some children with saline shots, at their parents request, instead of the immunization jab before sending them off with the phony vax cards.
3 Dr. Michael Kirk Moore allegedly doled out saline shots to children of anti-vaxxers in exchange for cash.
Plastic Surgery Institute of Ut
The indictment, obtained by The Post, claimed that Moore and his neighbor, Kristin Jackson Anderson, were part of a secret group aimed to 'liberate the medical profession from government and industry conflicts of interest.'
To pull it off, the duo teamed up with officer manager Kari Dee Burgoyne and receptionist Sandra Flores to trash $28,000 worth of government-provided vaccines, prosecutors alleged.
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The foursome, as well as the medical office, was charged with conspiracy to defraud the US; conspiracy to convert, sell, convey, and dispose of government property; and conversion, sale, conveyance, and disposal of government property and aiding and abetting.
3 Kari Dee Burgoyne, the officer manager, was also charged in the alleged scheme.
Plastic Surgery Institute of Ut
It's unclear whether charges against the other members of the alleged scheme have also been dropped.
The move by the federal agency comes just days after Moore's expected two-week trial began Monday in Salt Lake city with jury selection.
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Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has been criticized for his approach to vaccines and peddling unproven treatments, voiced his support for Moore back in April – declaring that he 'deserves a medal for his courage and his commitment to healing!'
Acting US Attorney for Utah Felice John Viti filed a motion Saturday stating that dismissing the case is in the 'interests of justice.'
With Post wires.
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