US drops charges against doctor accused of destroying Covid vaccines

July 13, 2025

The US attorney general has ordered the dismissal of charges against Dr. Michael Kirk Moore Jr. , who was accused of destroying Covid-19 vaccines, distributing fake vaccination cards, and giving children saline shots instead of vaccines. Dr. Moore, a plastic surgeon in Utah who had pleaded not guilty, was facing up to 35 years in prison for allegedly providing fraudulent vaccination certificates for over 1,900 doses in exchange for payments or charity donations.

Who is affected

Dr. Michael Kirk Moore Jr. (plastic surgeon)
Moore's company (Plastic Surgery Institute of Utah, Inc.)
Three other unidentified co-defendants
The patients who received fraudulent vaccination certificates or saline shots
Children who were given saline shots instead of vaccines

What action is being taken

The US attorney general is ordering charges to be dropped against Dr. Moore
The acting US Attorney for Utah, Felice John Viti, has filed to dismiss the charges
The Justice Department is following the attorney general's directive to drop the charges

Why it matters

Dr. Moore was facing up to 35 years in prison on multiple charges
The case represents what Attorney General Bondi and Republican lawmakers characterize as government "weaponization" during COVID
The dismissal signals a shift in how the current administration is handling COVID-related prosecutions from the previous administration
The case involves alleged fraud against federal agencies including the CDC

What's next

No explicit next steps stated in the article

Read full article from source: BBC