The Wisconsin pharmacist who destroyed hundreds of COVID-91 vaccines believed the doses were chipped – and is a gun-carrying flat-earther who thinks the sky is a government shield hiding God, according to an FBI affidavit.
Steven Brandenburg, 46, last month pleaded guilty to leaving about 570 doses of the Moderna vaccine uncooled to intentionally spoil them, and is now facing 10 years in prison.
He was soon identified by his colleagues as the culprit “for his vocal convictions against the vaccine” that he “had been speaking out for months at work against anyone who would listen,” according to an FBI search warrant obtained by The Daily Beast.
Brandenburg reportedly told a colleague at Advocate Aurora Health Systems in Grafton that “he does not believe the coronavirus is real, and he thinks the vaccine will harm people,” the document said.
“Brandenburg thinks the vaccine has been ‘chipped’ and will disable people’s contraception and make others infertile,” FBI agent Lindsay Schloemer wrote.
The colleague who reported him, Sarah Sticker, was alarmed by the 13-year-old pharmacist because he was “deeply involved in conspiracy theories,” the document said.
Some of the conspiracy theories that Brandenburg told Sticker about 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, ”said the 26-page archive.
He also once showed her a .45 pistol that he kept at work – and told her he was “keeping it in case the military came to get him.”
When Brandenburg was first interviewed by investigators for his employer, he initially claimed that he accidentally left out the vaccine vials – before later admitting that he did so on purpose, the document claimed.
Brandenburg then explained that he believed the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine could hurt people and was not safe to administer, the order said.
He later emailed the health department accusing sleepless nights while separated from his children over a “highly controversial divorce”.
“My actions were inexcusable and I deeply apologize for the damage I have done,” he wrote.
Divorce documents obtained by WISN show that his terrified wife had fled the city and warned that Brandenburg was stockpiling bulk food and weapons for fear of planned attacks by the government.
Brandenburg was later fired and his pharmacy license was also suspended. He must appear in court again next Tuesday.
His attorney, Jason Baltz, did not respond to requests for comment, the Daily Beast said.