Latest news with #MichaelKirkMoore
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
In apparent desperation, AG Pam Bondi drops a closely watched criminal case
Attorney General Pam Bondi appears to be a little short on friends right now. The Florida Republican has faced fierce criticisms from the left, for example, for being a hyperpartisan Trump sycophant, focused more on purging her own department and peddling White House talking points on Fox News than doing meaningful work on behalf of the nation. Meanwhile, Bondi has faced comparable criticisms from the right for being incompetent and untrustworthy, over-promising and under-delivering, especially on conspiracy theories important to the right. Even Donald Trump conceded over the weekend that MAGA World is 'going after' the attorney general. It's against this backdrop that the struggling AG made a striking announcement over the weekend. The Associated Press reported: The federal government on Saturday dismissed charges against a Utah plastic surgeon accused of throwing away Covid-19 vaccines, giving children saline shots instead of the vaccine and selling faked vaccination cards. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a post on the social media platform X that charges against Dr. Michael Kirk Moore, of Midvale, Utah, were dismissed at her direction. For those who aren't mired in far-right fever swamps, Moore's name is probably unfamiliar. But in some right-wing circles, he and the case against him have become a subject of intense interest lately. The criminal case against Moore was relatively straightforward. The Utah-based plastic surgeon, according to evidence compiled by federal prosecutors, allegedly destroyed over $28 million worth of government-provided Covid vaccines, issued fraudulent vaccination record cards — in some instances, in exchange for cash — and administered saline shots to children instead of the Covid vaccine. As the AP report added, he and his co-defendants faced up to 35 years in prison after being charged with conspiracy to defraud the government; conspiracy to convert, sell, convey and dispose of government property; and aiding and abetting in those efforts. Jury selection in Moore's trial began last week. It was around this time when Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia embraced Moore's case as a rallying cry, asking the Justice Department to abandon the case. Five days later, Bondi did exactly that, insisting that the Utah doctor did not 'deserve' the prison sentence he was facing. The attorney general specifically credited Greene, one of the most right-wing members of Congress in recent memory, for bringing the case to her attention and for having been a 'warrior for Dr. Moore.' To be sure, it's possible that Bondi would've intervened in the case even if many MAGA activists weren't calling for her ouster, but it's quite a coincidence that the attorney general scrambled to intervene in a case important to the far-right fringe just as she was looking to improve her standing with the far-right fringe. As for the larger context, the nation's chief law enforcement officer effectively declared that those who commit professional fraud, on purpose, can expect to get away with overt criminal misconduct if (a) conservatives approve of the motivation behind the fraud; (b) the attorney general is feeling politically desperate; or (c) some combination of the two. This article was originally published on
The Guardian
a day ago
- Health
- The Guardian
DoJ drops charges against Utah doctor accused of destroying Covid vaccines
The US Department of Justice dropped charges on Saturday against Michael Kirk Moore, the Utah doctor accused of destroying more than $28,000 worth of government-provided Covid-19 vaccines and administering saline to children instead of the shot. Pam Bondi, the US attorney general, announced the news in a statement on the social media platform X, saying the charges had been dismissed under her direction. 'Dr Moore gave his patients a choice when the federal government refused to do so,' Bondi said. 'He did not deserve the years in prison he was facing.' According to a 2023 press release from the US attorney's office in Utah, Moore distributed at least 1,937 fraudulent vaccination record cards in exchange for either direct payment or required donations to a specific charity. The minors he gave saline shots to were under the impression, at the request of their parents, that they were receiving a Covid-19 shot. Moore ran the operations from a plastic surgery center in Midvale, Utah, and was charged, along with three other co-defendants, with conspiracy to defraud the United States. Far-right congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene thanked Bondi in a statement on X and called Moore a 'hero who refused to inject his patients with a government-mandated unsafe vaccine'. The Utah senator Mike Lee also weighed in, saying on X that he was glad Moore could remain a free man and that countless Americans endured lies and lockdowns during the pandemic. Moore was indicted by the justice department in 2023. He pleaded not guilty to the charges, which also included conspiracy to convert, sell, convey and dispose of government property, and the conversion, sale, conveyance, and disposal of government property. The fake vaccination records were sold under Moore's scheme for $50 each, and operations allegedly ran between May 2021 and September 2022. Attorneys for Moore argued that the regulations set at the time by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) were unconstitutional. The charges against Moore were brought in when Biden was president, but Covid-19 conspiracists and skeptics have been embraced in the new administration under Trump. Recently, the Trump administration canceled a $766m award to Moderna on the research and development of H5N1 bird flu vaccines, and officials announced new restrictions and regulations for Covid mRNA vaccines. The US health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, who has for decades baselessly sowed doubt about vaccine safety, contrary to scientific research, thanked Moore in a statement on X back in April. 'Dr Moore deserves a medal for his courage and his commitment to healing,' Kennedy Jr said.
Malay Mail
2 days ago
- Health
- Malay Mail
US anti-vaxxer doctor who destroyed Covid jabs, gave fake certs go free after Trump admin pressured to drop charges
WASHINGTON, July 13 — US Attorney General Pam Bondi said yesterday she had ordered charges to be dropped against a doctor accused of destroying Covid-19 jabs and issuing fake vaccination certificates. The abrupt halt to proceedings comes just days after the trial commenced, and is the latest boost to the vaccine-sceptic movement from President Donald Trump's administration. Michael Kirk Moore, a plastic surgeon in the western state of Utah, was charged by the Department of Justice in 2023 alongside his clinic and three others for 'running a scheme' to defraud the government. He was accused of destroying or disposing of over US$28,000 (RM120,000) worth of government-provided Covid vaccines and handing out at least 1,937 false vaccine record cards in exchange for payment. Moore, who faced decades behind bars, was also accused of administering a saline solution to children — at the behest of their parents — so that they would think they had been vaccinated against Covid. Moore's trial began this week at a federal court in Salt Lake City. But on Tuesday, Republican lawmaker Marjorie Taylor Greene, one of Trump's most vocal hard-right supporters, said she had written to Bondi calling for charges against Moore to be dropped. '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,' Bondi wrote on X. Bondi's decision also notably comes as she faces fire from right-wing activists over her handling of a probe into the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. She thanked Greene and Utah Senator Mike Lee, another hard-right lawmaker, for their advocacy for dropping charges against Moore. The Covid-19 pandemic sparked fierce political division in the US between those who supported lockdowns and vaccination drives, and those who considered the measures as restrictions on freedom. Trump, himself vaccinated against Covid-19, has appointed as his Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has initiated an overhaul of American vaccine policy. Kennedy said Moore 'deserves a medal for his courage and commitment to healing,' in an X post in April. At the end of May, Kennedy announced that federal authorities would no longer recommend Covid-19 jabs for children and pregnant women, prompting accusations from medical groups that he was taking away parents' ability to opt for vaccinations. Kennedy has been accused of spreading vaccine misinformation, including about the measles vaccine, even as the US grapples with its worst measles epidemic in 30 years. — AFP
CBS News
2 days ago
- Health
- CBS News
Attorney General Pam Bondi announces dismissal of charges against plastic surgeon accused of faking COVID-19 vaccine cards
Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Saturday that she is dismissing the criminal charges against a Utah plastic surgeon who was currently on trial for allegedly issuing fake Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 vaccination records cards to people who sought fake vaccine cards. Dr. Michael Kirk Moore, whose criminal trial was currently underway in Utah, was indicted by the Justice Department in 2023. Moore, his medical corporation and three co-defendants were accused of allegedly destroying more than $28,000 worth of government-provided COVID-19 vaccines and distributing at least 1,937 falsely marked COVID-19 doses on vaccine cards in exchange for direct cash payments or donations to a charitable organization. Moore pleaded not guilty to the charges, while one of his co-defendants entered into a plea agreement for a misdemeanor charge and another co-defendant entered into a diversion agreement. One co-defendant is currently on trial with Moore. A Justice Department spokesperson did not respond to questions on whether or not the charges against them would be dropped as well. In court filings, attorneys for Moore argued that the CDC vaccine regulations in place were unconstitutional. The Biden Justice Department alleged that Moore was not administering COVID-19 vaccines in exchange for the payment, and was administering saline shots to minors, at the request of their parents, so children would think they were receiving a vaccine dose. Moore and his co-defendants were also charged with conspiracy to convert, sell, convey, and dispose of government property; and the conversion, sale, conveyance, and disposal of government property and aiding and abetting for their efforts to forge the vaccine cards. The fake cards were sold for $50 each, charging documents said, during the scheme they allegedly operated between May 2021 and September 2022. "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," Bondi wrote on X, thanking Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has a history of casting doubts on the efficacy of COVID vaccines, for raising awareness of his case. "She has been a warrior for Dr. Moore and for ending the weaponization of government," Bondi wrote. In a post on X on Saturday, Greene called Moore a "hero who refused to inject his patients with a government mandated unsafe vaccine!" It was not immediately clear if the charges were being dismissed for Moore's co-defendants. The announcement comes as the department is facing uncertainty after a clash between Bondi and FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino over a Justice Department review of the Jeffrey Epstein investigation, which led to Bongino not showing up for work on Friday, as sources say he is considering leaving his post over the dispute.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Charges dropped against Utah doctor accused of throwing away $28,000 in COVID vaccine doses
The federal government on Saturday dismissed charges against a Utah plastic surgeon accused of throwing away COVID-19 vaccines, giving children saline shots instead of the vaccine and selling faked vaccination cards. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a post on the social media platform X that charges against Dr. Michael Kirk Moore, of Midvale, Utah, were dismissed at her direction. Moore and other defendants faced up to 35 years in prison after being charged with conspiracy to defraud the government; conspiracy to convert, sell, convey and dispose of government property; and aiding and abetting in those efforts. The charges were brought when Joe Biden was president. 'Dr. Moore gave his patients a choice when the federal government refused to do so,' Bondi wrote. 'He did not deserve the years in prison he was facing. It ends today.' Felice John Viti, acting U.S. attorney for Utah, filed the motion Saturday, saying 'such dismissal is in the interests of justice.' The trial began Monday in Salt Lake City with jury selection. It was expected to last 15 days. Messages sent to the U.S. Department of Justice, Viti's office in Salt Lake City and to Moore were not immediately returned Saturday to The Associated Press. A federal grand jury on Jan. 11, 2023, returned an indictment against Moore, his Plastic Surgery Institute of Utah Inc., others associated with the clinic and a neighbor of Moore's. The indictment alleged more than $28,000 of government-provided COVID-19 vaccine doses were destroyed. They were also accused of providing fraudulently completed vaccination record cards for over 1,900 doses of the vaccine in exchange for either a cash or a donation to a specified charitable organization. The government also alleged some children were given saline shots, at their parents' request, so the minors believed they were getting the vaccine. Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr., a leading anti-vaccine activist before becoming the nation's top health official, posted his support for Moore in April, saying on X that Moore "deserves a medal for his courage and his commitment to healing!' During his confirmation hearings in January, Kennedy repeatedly refused to acknowledge scientific consensus that childhood vaccines don't cause autism and that COVID-19 vaccines saved millions of lives. In a follow-up X post on Saturday, Bondi said Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene brought the case to her attention. ___ Thiessen reported from Anchorage, Alaska.
