Hospital pharmacist accused of sabotaging vaccines a flat-earther
Hospital pharmacist accused of sabotaging vaccines a flat-earther
Newly unsealed court documents portray a former suburban Milwaukee hospital pharmacist accused of sabotaging hundreds of doses of a COVID-19 vaccine as an admitted conspiracy theorist who believes in baseless ideas not rooted in fact.
GRAFTON, Wis. - Newly unsealed court documents portray a former suburban Milwaukee hospital pharmacist accused of sabotaging hundreds of doses of a COVID-19 vaccine as an admitted conspiracy theorist who believes in baseless ideas not rooted in fact -- that the earth is flat, the vaccine is "microchipped" and can cause infertility, and would bring a gun to work "in case the military came to take him away."
Steven Brandenburg, 46, of Grafton was charged in a Milwaukee federal court last week with two counts of attempting to tamper with a consumer product and intends to plead guilty in that case. He also faces state charges of attempted criminal damage to property. He has pleaded not guilty in that case.
Steven Brandenburg
In a newly unsealed search warrant, Brandenburg’s assistant at Advocate Aurora Medical Center in Grafton alerted her supervisors about finding a box containing 57 vials of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine – which health officials say equals hundreds of doses – out of refrigerated storage in the early morning hours of Dec. 26.
Ultimately, 57 people were administered the vaccine in question during a vaccination clinic that morning. On Dec. 31, Advocate Aurora Chief Medical Officer Dr. Jeff Bahr said during a press conference that the 57 doses administered on Dec. 26 were not harmful but were not effective.
The assistant, Sarah Sticker, told investigators she immediately suspected Brandenburg of removing the vaccines. She said Brandenburg has espoused conspiracy theories for months and was vocal about his convictions against the vaccine, telling Sticker he doesn’t believe the virus is real, that the vaccine is "microchipped," will "turn off" people’s birth control, make others infertile. Sticker said she had observed Brandenburg research if there was a way to track if the vaccines had been kept at the required temperature.
Sticker told federal agents Brandenburg believes "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 Judgment Day is coming," according to court filings.
Steven Brandenburg
During her next shift, Sticker said Brandenburg waited for her outside her cubicle to "talk," confronting her, and feared Brandenburg may become "desperate" or "unhinged." Brandenburg is currently going through a divorce. Sticker added Brandenburg had previously showed her a gun he brought to work, "in case the military came to take him away," according to a search warrant affidavit, and that she believed he wore it on him while at work.
Messages left at a phone number listed to 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 Dec. 30, Brandenburg stopped by his wife’s house in early December and dropped off a water purifier and two 30-day supplies of food, telling her that the world was "crashing down" and she was in denial. He said the government was planning cyberattacks and was going to shut down the power grid. His wife added he was storing food and guns in rental units.
A court commissioner found that Brandenburg’s children were in imminent danger and temporarily prohibited them from staying with him.
Steven Brandenburg
The revelations in the case come through a search warrant filing as federal investigators sought to review several of Brandenburg’s electronic devices, including his cell phone and laptop, including any communications or records he may have regarding the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine and his internet history. What investigators found on those devices is not yet clear.
Brandenburg was charged by complaint in a Milwaukee federal court last week, accused of recklessly disregarding the risk posed to another person by tampering with the vials. A plea agreement filed indicated Brandenburg intends to plead guilty but has not yet entered a formal plea.
In interviews with Advocate Aurora investigators, Brandenburg initially said he must have missed or forgotten to put the box of vaccine back into the refrigerator while reorganizing it. However, Brandenburg later admitted to intentionally removing the vaccine twice, first on the evening of Dec. 24, before replacing it; and again on Dec. 25, when Sticker found it early the next morning on the 26th.
Brandenburg then sent an emailed confession to hospital investigators on Dec. 30, admitting to twice removing the vaccine from storage to make it ineffective, as he believes it alters people’s DNA. In the email, Brandenburg says his "actions were inexcusable and I deeply apologize for the harm I have caused," pointing to his pending divorce, causing him stress and that he was "not thinking clearly," "regardless of my personal views on the vaccine-related issue."
Brandenburg had his pharmacy license voluntarily suspended by a state board earlier this month, pending the outcome of the criminal cases. A spokesperson with the Department of Safety and Professional Services telling FOX6 Monday that an investigation is ongoing and, once it is complete, it will be presented to the pharmacy examining board for consideration.
During a court hearing earlier this month, Ozaukee County District Attorney said the vials removed from storage were being tested by Moderna to determine if they are still effective.
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Brandenburg waived indictment on the federal charges and is scheduled to appear before a federal judge by videoconference, because of coronavirus precautions, next week. He is also scheduled to appear back in Ozaukee County court on the state charges next month. He remains out of custody on bond.
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