The Wisconsin pharmacist who intentionally sabotaged hundreds of doses of the Moderna coronavirus vaccine because he thought COVID-19 was a hoax also believes the Earth is flat and that the sky is actually a ‘shield set up by the government to prevent that individuals see God. “
That’s according to a recently unsealed FBI search warrant filed by The Daily Beast, which the agency filed earlier this month asking for permission to analyze an iPhone, a laptop, and a USB stick that was seized by Steven Brandenburg when he was arrested in late December.
Federal authorities accused the 46-year-old Brandenburg of deliberately destroying 570 doses of the vaccine by twice removing a box of the vials from a refrigerator at Advocate Aurora Health Systems in Grafton, WI, where he worked the night shift. Brandenburg knew this could spoil the vaccine, which can only survive for up to 12 hours outside of the refrigerator, prosecutors said. The damaged doses that Brandenburg had tampered with were then given to at least 57 patients.
The filing for an injunction, filed in federal court by FBI Special Agent Lindsay Schloemer, reveals that Brandenburg’s delusions went well beyond questioning the reality of the coronavirus. Brandenburg not only insisted that the “chipped” vaccine would “disable people’s birth control and render others sterile,” he was convinced that the physical world around him was not what it seemed, a colleague told the researchers.
Some of the conspiracy theories that Brandenburg told [the coworker] approximately included: the earth is flat; the sky is not real, rather it is a shield put up by the government to prevent individuals from seeing God; and doomsday is coming, ”says the 26-page archive.
The colleague, identified in the document as pharmacy assistant Sarah Sticker, told authorities that Brandenburg carried a .45-caliber handgun to work, which he said he needed “in case the military came to pick him up.” Police confiscated several firearms from the Brandenburg house on New Year’s Eve.
Sticker, who is reportedly the one who discovered the vaccines that Brandenburg pulled out of the refrigerator on Dec. 24 and 25, told investigators that Brandenburg tried to “ feel guilty ” about her after hearing she reported him.
“If I lose this job, I will lose my children,” Brandenburg reportedly told Sticker, who said she was worried that Brandenburg was going “desperate” or “out of control”.
Sticker, who was unavailable for comment, also told investigators that she had seen Brandenburg examine the vaccine on his work computer, looking for a mechanism on the boxes to track the temperature of the vials.
“My actions were inexcusable and I deeply apologize for the damage I have caused.“
– Steven Brandenburg
When Brandenburg was interviewed by the police, he initially tried to explain away what he was doing as a simple mistake. He said that his attempt to make the vaccine doses ineffective was “a spontaneous act” and that he “did not think clearly because of what was going on in his life.”
“Researchers asked how this could be a spontaneous act when Brandenburg did it two days in a row,” the application said. “Brandenburg had no answer.”
In a subsequent interview, followed by an email requesting a warrant, Brandenburg admitted that he had indeed corrupted the vaccines because he believed they would “alter the recipient’s DNA.” He went on to explain that he was in the middle of a “very controversial divorce” and did not sleep well.
“My actions were inexcusable and I apologize for the damage I have done,” Brandenburg wrote.
According to divorce records reviewed by WISN, a subsidiary of Milwaukee ABC News, Brandenburg’s wife Gretchen told a judge that her husband was storing bulk food and weapons in multiple rental units, fearing the government was planning attacks on the country’s power and computer networks. to plan. She said she was so afraid for her safety, and that of her children, that she left town.
Last week, Brandenburg – who has since been fired – agreed to plead guilty to two attempts to tamper with consumer products with reckless disdain, and faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of $ 250,000 per charge. His attorney, Jason Baltz, did not respond to a request for comment. Brandenburg must appear in court again on February 9.