Ex-WI Pharmacist Who Tried To Spoil COVID-19 Vaccines Sentenced

MILWAUKEE, WI — A former Grafton pharmacist who tried to spoil hundreds of COVID-19 vaccine doses in December has been sentenced by a federal court.

A judge in the Eastern District of Wisconsin Tuesday sentenced Steven Brandenburg, 46, to 36 months in prison and supervision for three years after his release. Federal prosecutors charged him with two counts of attempting to tamper with consumer products, according to sentencing documents filed in January.

Brandenburg was a pharmacist at the Advocate Aurora Health Hospital in Grafton. He was arrested in December 2020 and accused of trying to destroy over 500 doses of coronavirus vaccine doses. His license was suspended the next month.

Brandenburg's attorney commented that 51 months is "far too high" for their client during the sentencing. Brandenburg could have been sentenced to up to 20 years in prison and $500,000 in fines, according to court documents. He agreed to plead guilty to the charges in January.

The pharmacist apologized at the end and said, "I did not have the right to make this decision."

Brandenburg told investigators in January that he believed the vaccines would harm people and "change their DNA," reported TMJ4. Court documents say he said he believed in other conspiracy theories as well.

There is no scientific evidence behind the claim that vaccines change people's DNA.