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 from his business was charged with multiple felonies, including forgery and identity theft.

The owner was arrested at his bar, the Old Corner Saloon, in Clements, California, the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) said Wednesday in a statement.

ABC received a complaint that fake vaccination cards were being sold at the bar and opened an investigation, the statement said. In April, undercover agents were able to buy four fake cards there as part of their investigation, John Carr, an ABC spokesperson, told CNN. 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 the bar owner during the arrest at his bar in Clements, which is 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.