Hospital pharmacist accused of sabotaging a flat-earther’s vaccines

GRAFTON, Delete. – Recently unsealed court documents portray a former Milwaukee suburban hospital pharmacist accused of sabotaging hundreds of doses of a COVID-19 vaccine as a noted conspiracy theorist who believes in baseless ideas that are not in fact rooted – that flat is, the vaccine has been ‘chipped’ “and can cause infertility, and would put a gun to work” in case the military came to get it. “

Steven Brandenburg, 46, of Grafton was charged last week by a federal court in Milwaukee with two attempts to tamper with a consumer product and plans to plead guilty in that case. He is also charged by the state with attempted criminal damage to property. He has pleaded not guilty in that case.

In a recently unsealed search warrant, Brandenburg’s assistant at Advocate Aurora Medical Center in Grafton warned her supervisors about finding a box containing 57 vials of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine – which health officials say equals hundreds of doses – at the beginning of the refrigerated storage. morning hours of December 26.

Ultimately, 57 people were given the vaccine in question at a vaccination clinic that morning. On December 31, Dr. Jeff Bahr, Chief Medical Officer of Attorney Aurora, said at a press conference that the 57 doses administered on December 26 were not harmful, but ineffective.

The assistant, Sarah Sticker, told investigators she immediately suspected Brandenburg of disposing of the vaccines. She said Brandenburg has been embracing conspiracy theories for months and has been vociferous about his convictions against the vaccine, and Sticker said he doesn’t believe the virus is real, that the vaccine has been ‘chipped’, will ‘turn off’ people’s contraception, others will make sterile. Sticker said she observed Brandenburg’s research to see if there was a way to find out if the vaccines had been kept at the required temperature.

Sticker told federal agents that Brandenburg believes that “the Earth is flat; the sky is not real, rather it is a shield put up by the government to keep individuals from seeing God; and doomsday is coming,” said judges. documents.

On her next shift, Sticker said that Brandenburg was waiting outside her booth to “talk”, confronted her, and feared that Brandenburg would become “desperate” or “out of control.” Brandenburg is currently going through a divorce. Sticker added that Brandenburg had previously shown her a gun he had brought to work, “in case the military came to pick him up,” according to a sworn warrant, and that she believed he carried it with him while on duty. .

Messages left on a phone number listed on Sticker, as well as an email, were not immediately returned. When reached by phone, Brandenburg’s attorney Jason Baltz declined to comment.

According to an affidavit filed by Brandenburg’s wife on December 30, Brandenburg stopped at his wife’s house in early December and delivered a water purifier and two 30-day supplies of food to tell her the world was collapsing and that they are in denial. He said the government is planning cyber attacks and would shut down the power grid. His wife added that he stored food and weapons in rental units.

A court commissioner discovered that the children of Brandenburg were in immediate danger and temporarily forbade them to stay with him.

The disclosures in the case come via a search warrant as federal investigators attempted to assess several of Brandenburg’s electronic devices, including his cell phone and laptop, including any communication or data he may have about the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine and his internet history. What researchers found on those devices is not yet clear.

Brandenburg was indicted by a federal court in Milwaukee last week, accused of recklessly disregarding the risk someone else runs by tampering with the bottles. A filed plea deal indicated that Brandenburg intends to plead guilty but has not yet filed a formal plea.

In interviews with Advocate Aurora researchers, Brandenburg initially said he must have missed or forgotten the box of vaccine to put it back in the refrigerator during its reorganization. However, Brandenburg later admitted to having the vaccine deliberately removed twice, first on the evening of December 24, before replacing it; and again on December 25, when Sticker found it early the next morning on December 26.

Brandenburg then sent a confession by email to hospital investigators on Dec. 30, admitting to having the vaccine taken out of storage twice to make it ineffective, believing it altering people’s DNA. In the email, Brandenburg says his “ actions were inexcusable and I apologize for the damage I have done, ” noting his impending divorce, which caused him stress and that he was “ not thinking clearly ” regardless my personal opinion on the vaccine-related issue. “

Brandenburg had his pharmacy license voluntarily suspended by a state administration earlier this month, pending the outcome of the criminal cases. A spokesperson for the Department of Safety and Professional Services told FOX6 on Monday that an investigation is underway and that, once completed, it will be submitted to the pharmacy’s board of examiners for consideration.

At a hearing earlier this month, the Ozaukee County District Attorney said the vials removed from storage were tested by Moderna to determine if they are still effective.

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Brandenburg dropped the charge against the federal indictment and will appear before a federal judge by videoconference next week over coronavirus precautions. He is also scheduled to appear before Ozaukee County District Court next month based on the state’s charges. He remains out of custody.