Pharmacist Accused Of Ruining Hundreds Of COVID-19 Vaccine Doses To Plead Guilty

A Wisconsin pharmacist accused of trying to spoil dozens of vials of COVID-19 vaccine has agreed to plead guilty in federal court.

Steven Brandenburg, 46, of Grafton, is charged with two counts of attempting to tamper with consumer products.

He faces a maximum sentence of 10 years and a $250,000 fine on each count.

Police arrested Brandenburg on Dec. 31 as part of an investigation into how 57 vials of the Moderna vaccine were left for hours outside a refrigerator at Advocate Aurora Health in Grafton. The vials contained enough vaccine to inoculate more than 500 people.

Jason Baltz, Brandenburg’s attorney, declined to comment Tuesday to The Associated Press.