Tricia Manno allegedly submitted forged COVID-19 vaccination card to school district
MINEOLA, N.Y. – Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly announced today a Sewanhaka High School teacher was indicted on charges she allegedly submitted a forged COVID-19 vaccination card to the high school in an effort to bypass the district’s mandatory testing rules.
Tricia Manno, 47, of Lindenhurst, was arraigned today before Judge Fran Ricigliano on charges of Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument in the Second Degree (a D felony); one count of Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument in the Third Degree (an A misdemeanor); two counts of Offering a False Instrument for Filing in the First Degree (an E felony); and one count of Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the Fifth Degree (an A misdemeanor). The defendant pleaded not guilty and is due back in court on May 24, 2022. If convicted of the top charge, she faces a potential maximum of two and one-third to seven years in prison.
“This defendant allegedly attempted to circumvent the school district’s mandatory testing requirement by submitting a vaccine card with obvious forgeries,” DA Donnelly said. “Manno doubled-down on the fraud by allegedly illegally obtaining a replacement card at the Northport VA Medical Center where she claimed to have been vaccinated, showing staff a digital fake as her proof. Submitting fraudulent documents is a crime, and in this case, one that put the health and safety of students and staff at risk.”
DA Donnelly said that, according to the investigation, on September 21, 2021, Manno allegedly submitted a digital copy of a vaccination card to the Sewanhaka Central High School District as proof of her vaccination status, which must be provided by staff to avoid undergoing weekly COVID-19 testing as per the district’s rules. The digital copy allegedly had several discrepancies and appeared to be forged.
When employees at the school district discovered that the card was allegedly forged, the defendant was asked to submit the original card to the school. Manno told school staff that her original card had been lost, and claimed she was vaccinated at the Northport VA Medical Center.
On September 27, 2021, the defendant allegedly went to the Northport VA Medical Center in order to obtain a replacement card. Manno allegedly showed a staff member a digital image of the forged vaccination card and claimed that she lost her original card. Based on this false claim, a member of the medical center issued a replacement card. The Northport VA Medical Center has no record of administering the COVID-19 vaccine to Manno.
On October 5, 2021, Manno met with members of her school district and submitted the replacement vaccination card she allegedly received from the Northport VA Medical Center under false pretenses.
This case is being prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Michael Davidman of the Public Corruption Bureau. The defendant is represented by Scott Limmer, Esq.
The charges are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless found guilty.
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