ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Two women who dressed up to make themselves appear as older adults to get coronavirus vaccinations were turned away and issued trespass warnings in Orlando, officials said.
Dr. Raul Pino, state health officer in Orange County — where Orlando is located — said the women disguised themselves on Wednesday with bonnets, gloves and glasses.
Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Michelle Guido told the Orlando Sentinel that the women altered their birth years on their vaccination registrations to bypass the state system, which prioritizes people age 65 and older.
It appeared that the women had gotten the first shot, but it was unclear where.
“Their names matched their registration but not their dates of birth,” she told the newspaper.
Health Department officials asked deputies to issue trespass warnings.
Guido said the warning means they can’t return to the convention center for any reason — including a vaccine, COVID-19 test, convention or show.
If they do return, they could face arrest.
Pino said the Health Department’s investigation will try to determine where they were vaccinated earlier and how they managed to get an appointment.
He said the department will “try to figure out if there are any holes, any loopholes, in the process that are allowing people to do that.”
Men Posed as Marshals to Avoid Masks at Florida Resort: Sheriff
THE NEW YORK TIMES – Two men were arrested and charged with impersonating a federal officer after they pretended to be U.S. marshals to avoid wearing masks at a South Florida resort, according to a criminal complaint.
Walter Wayne Brown Jr., 53, and Gary Brummett, 81, allegedly flashed mask exemption cards and fake U.S. marshal badges to get around mask rules at the hotel.
A criminal complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
The pair was arrested last week after a real U.S. marshal was sent to the hotel to validate their claims.
The men were guests at the Wyndham Deerfield Beach Resort, an oceanfront hotel in Broward County, Fla.
The resort did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the arrests, which were reported by The South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
During their confrontations with members of the resort’s staff, both men wore “authentic appearing” circular badges with a seven-point star that read “Cherokee Nation Marshal” and “Aniyvwiya Criminal Justice Deputy,” according to the complaint … Read more.
