A New Jersey woman busted for peddling phony vaccination cards on a 2021 Instagram account called “AntiVaxMomma” tried a last-ditch effort to avoid prison after she agreed to a plea deal — but walked out of Manhattan Supreme Court in handcuffs Thursday.
Prosecutors say Jasmine Clifford forged at least 250 fake vaccination cards and sold at least 13 to essential workers, including hospital, nursing home and school staff at $200 a pop.
After entering the courtroom wearing oversize sunglasses and a sweatshirt wrapped around her head, Clifford, 34, told Judge Beth Beller that she’s been confused about the purpose of Thursday’s hearing after she had previously pleaded guilty to offering a false instrument for filing and conspiracy.
“I was under the impression at the last court case that we were setting a date for trial,” said Clifford, shielding her face from press photographers with her hand. “I was not aware that there was a plea offer.”
“The defendant made an Instagram post in which she questioned the voluntary nature of her plea,” said Assistant District Attorney Kofi Sansculotte. “We wish to put it on the record.”
“I had seconds to make a decision and the offer was on the table,” Clifford said. “I really didn’t know what to do. In my heart what I wanted to do was to go to trial.”
“Even if I were to go to trial, I would need time,” she said. “If I had more time to think about the plea, I would have not chosen that option.”
The prosecutor refuted that claim, saying Clifford herself had asked for the plea deal.
“The defendant herself asked the court for this disposition on the record on Feb. 23,” said Sansculotte. “About a month later the people made the current offer. The 19th of April, two months after, the defendant herself requested the offer.”
Beller pointed out Clifford’s current deal was much lighter than what had originally been discussed.
“I was here, she pled guilty in front of me,” said the judge. “I have a lot of people who come in front of me who have second thoughts about going to jail.”
“I would also note there is somewhat of a history of this here, of Ms. Clifford not being totally candid,” said Beller, noting the defendant had told the court she needed time to arrange child care and was sick but instead went on vacation and posted photos to Instagram.
“The people looked at social media of her at all kinds of different places. She tagged her location as Puerto Rico, she was driving, she was on the beach and she said she was in poor health.”
Posting on Instagram as @5starjazziii, Clifford shared photos and videos three weeks ago of a sunset and herself strolling in the sand with her kids as well as a shot of an array of desserts, with “Happy Birthday!” written in chocolate sauce on a plate.
“She’s known for a very long time she could have a trial but she took a plea,” said Beller. “I am going forward with the sentence.”
Clifford was sentenced to 1½ to 3 years for the scheme, which prosecutors say she masterminded.
The defendant, whose Instagram account lists her as “entrepreneur,” was aided by Nadayza Barkley, 27, who fraudulently entered the names of at least 10 of the card buyers into the state’s Excelsior Pass system, which provided vaccine documents to users’ cell phones, prosecutors said.
Barkley, of Bellport, L.I., allegedly accessed the state database through her job at a medical clinic in Patchogue.
Prosecutors charged 13 essential workers in August 2021 with felony criminal possession of a forged instrument and conspiracy, a misdemeanor.
A popular TikTok user, whose digital moniker is @TizzyEnt, sounded an alarm about AntiVaxxMomma in 2021. TizzyEnt shared on his page screenshots and videos Clifford posted to her 302,000 followers from her personal account.
“$200/CARD. REAL CARDS, REAL LOT #S. REAL VACCINATION SITES,” read one of Clifford’s captions on a photo showing bundles of purported fake CDC vaccine cards. “SHIPPING OUT TODAY AND TOMORROW.”
In another post that TizzyEnt shared with his followers in blowing the whistle on Clifford, she said she wanted to expand her “team” and enlist more hospital and pharmacy workers with access to the state’s immunization database.
“I messaged her initially from another account on Instagram and presented myself as somebody who worked at a Walgreens,” TizzyEnt told the Daily News in 2021. “And she immediately was like, ‘Do you have computer access?’”
“She was very open and willing to give a lot of information,” said TizzyEnt, who asked that he not be identified by his real name. “I was sort of shocked and surprised that she was. But yeah, [she] clearly stated that she had someone already entering information” in New York’s Excelsior Pass database.
