California bar owner charged with multiple felonies for allegedly selling fake Covid-19 vaccination cards, officials say

(CNN) A bar owner who allegedly sold fake Covid-19 vaccine cards at his Northern California business has been charged with multiple felonies, including forgery and identity theft.

Todd Anderson, 59, of Acampo, California, was arrested Tuesday at his bar, the Old Corner Saloon, John Carr, a spokesperson for the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, told CNN.

ABC received a complaint that fake vaccination cards were being sold at the bar and opened an investigation, the agency said Wednesday in a statement. In April, undercover agents were able to buy four fake cards from the bar as part of their investigation, Carr said. They paid $20 for each card, he said.

It's not clear how many cards were sold in total. Agents found two completed cards and 30 blank ones with a laminating device, Carr said. ABC said agents also found an unregistered firearm with Anderson during the arrest at his bar in Clements, nearly 35 miles southeast of Sacramento.

"This is the first case the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) has investigated that involves allegations of the sale of Fraudulent COVID-19 Vaccination Cards," Carr told CNN via email.