Hawaii Tourists Arrested for Faking Vaccination Cards Fined $8,000
A spokesman for the Attorney General’s Office said that the arrests were the third and fourth made by the office for faking vaccination documentation.
Two tourists from Florida were arrested in Hawaii Friday for falsifying Covid-19 vaccination cards and could pay $8,000 for violating the state’s emergency pandemic proclamation.
Enzo Dalmazzo, 43, and Daniela Dalmazzo, 31, from Miami, Florida, arrived in Hawaii Wednesday and were arrested Friday by officials from the state Attorney General’s Office.
A spokesman for the Attorney General’s Office said that the arrests were the third and fourth made by the office for faking vaccination documentation. Last week Hawaii Gov. David Ige announced two other tourists had been arrested at the Honolulu airport for the same crime.
Public records show Enzo Dalmazzo was cited for $2,000, while Daniela Dalmazzo received a $6,000 citation for submitting fake vaccination cards for herself and two children under the age of 12.
UPDATE: Court records show charges against Enzo Dalmazzo were dismissed in October 2021 after he paid a fine and met other conditions required by the court.
Hawaii is in the midst of a Covid-19 surge, with a state positivity rate of 7.5%. On Oahu, where the Dalmazzos were arrested, the positivity rate was 8.4% Saturday, according to the latest available data.
State data shows that the vast majority of Covid cases have been related to community spread or returning Hawaii residents who traveled out of state. But the pandemic has heightened long existing tensions between the local community and the tourism industry, with many locals frustrated with the huge influx of tourists this summer and raising concerns about their role in spreading the virus.
Through the state’s Safe Travels Program, Hawaii requires people entering the state to either present vaccination cards or show proof of a negative Covid test in order to skip a mandatory quarantine period.
Submitting a fake vaccination card comes with a fine of up to $5,000 or imprisonment of up to one year.
“Airport screeners are constantly on guard for falsified test results or vaccination documentation, screening thousands of travelers arriving daily through Hawaii鈥檚 airports,” Gary Yamashiroya, special assistant to the attorney general, said in a statement.
“The Department of the Attorney General works collaboratively with other governmental partners to keep Hawaii safe from COVID and will investigate and prosecute those attempting to dishonestly bypass the Safe Travels program.”
Requiring proof of vaccination is a growing part of Hawaii’s efforts to stop the virus’ spread. Last week, Ige set up a new approval process for large events that requires organizers to present mitigation plans that may require proof of vaccination or a negative Covid test to attend.
that U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials caught 3,000 fake vaccination cards in Memphis.
鈥淭hese vaccinations are free and available everywhere,鈥 Michael Neipert, the agency’s area port director of Memphis, . 鈥淚f you do not wish to receive a vaccine, that is your decision. But don鈥檛 order a counterfeit, waste my officers’ time, break the law, and misrepresent yourself.”
