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Print National Desk
A Wisconsin pharmacist who attempted to destroy nearly 500 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine has been sentenced to federal prison.
Steven Brandenburg, 46, admitted to removing the vaccine vials from a pharmacy refrigerator on two occasions.
A federal judge sentenced him Tuesday morning to three years in prison.
Brandenburg will then be on federal probation for three years after his release.
He apologized and said he felt ashamed by his actions.
Federal prosecutors had recommended a sentence of 51 months.
Brandenburg entered a guilty plea in February to two counts of attempting to tamper with a consumer product.
Records show Brandenburg removed the same box of Moderna vaccine from a refrigerator at Aurora Medical Center-Grafton on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
Key Takeaways
Officials and Aurora have not yet released the name of the pharmacist at Aurora Medical Center Grafton who intentionally left 57 vials of the Moderna vaccine out from the refrigerator overnight. Jail records show Steven Brandenburg, 46, of Grafton, who state records indicate has been a pharmacist since 1997, is being held on similar preliminary charges.
As of Tuesday, 47,157 vaccines have been administered to Wisconsinites, according to DHS; 6,306 of those doses were Moderna vaccines.
Contact Benita Mathew at 920-309-3428 or bmathew@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @benita mathew.