A New Jersey stripper who admitted selling hundreds of fake COVID-19 vaccination cards for $200 each had her sentence revoked early because she brought her young children to court.
Jasmine Clifford, 34, faced approximately one to three years in state prison after pleading guilty in April and spending several months on New York’s Rikers Island.
Released in early 2022 after her arrest the previous summer, she made no arrangements for her two pre-teen children on Friday.
Judge Marisol Martínez Alonso suspected that it was a ploy to further delay the process, but gave him until July 25 to make the necessary arrangements.
At that point, he will return to court to hear his sentence, Alonso said, and the time he has already spent in jail will be factored into his sentence.
Jasmine Clifford, 34, faced between one and three years in state prison after pleading guilty in April and spending several months on New York’s Rikers Island following her arrest in August 2021.
Released in May 2022 ahead of her criminal trial, she made no arrangements Friday for her two pre-teen children. She was seen with them last year, after spending several months at Rikers Island.
“The Court finds the recommendation of 2 to 4 years of incarceration wholly inconsistent with the plea offers submitted to this Court by District Attorney Bragg’s office,” the judge said earlier this year of his decision not to dismiss the charges, while also seemingly accusing District Attorney Bragg of levying excessive charges for the crime.
“Clifford’s manipulation of the database ‘required the investment of significant DOH resources to attempt to restore the integrity of the database,'” he added before moving forward with the case.
“Accordingly, this factor weighs against dismissal of the charges against (her).”
“The position that ‘confidence in the criminal justice system can only be undermined when justice is administered in an unfair manner’ is simply ridiculous,” Alonso continued.
‘Notwithstanding the People’s conflicting position in this case, the People have the right to make any legal argument or recommendation, and the legislature’s mandate prohibits this Court from making an offer less than the legal minimum.
Clifford’s defense agreed to the legal minimum for their client’s sentence, since pleaded guilty to a scheme that led her to sell fake vaccination cards from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention before falsely registering buyers in New York.
As a result, at least 13 people were fraudulently included in the New York State Immunization Information System database, the feds said, while the mother of two was living it up in her Lyndhurst home.
Meanwhile, she maintained a prominent social media presence as the stripper 5StarJaziii, and on a still-up-and-running Instagram account, she advertised fake CDC vaccination cards under the name AntiVaxMomma.
Judge Marisol Martínez Alonso suspected that this was a maneuver to further delay the process, but gave him until July 25 to make the necessary arrangements.
At that point, he will return to court to hear his sentencing, Alsonso said, and the time he already spent in jail will be credited toward his sentence.
Clifford’s defense agreed to the legal minimum for her client’s sentence, as she pleaded guilty to a scheme that saw her sell fake vaccination cards from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention before falsely registering buyers in New York.
She accepted payments from interested parties via CashApp or Zelle. The pseudonym was deleted from her social media accounts.
For an additional $250, a second scammer would enter the name of a fake card buyer into a New York state vaccination database, which was used to verify vaccination status at gatherings like concerts and sporting events, prosecutors said.
Clifford was subsequently charged with criminal possession of a forged instrument, offering a false instrument for filing, and fifth-degree conspiracy at the time of her arrest in August 2021.
In court papers before the ruling, Alonso appeared to chide Bragg for being consistently lenient on violent criminals while harshly punishing a person like Clifford — a stance echoed by state Supreme Court Justice Brendan T. Lantry in February when he dismissed felony charges against a couple accused of buying cards from Clifford.
The two were among 16 people Bragg’s office “selected” to prosecute and charge with criminal possession of a forged instrument, the judge said.
The self-proclaimed AntiVaxMomma accepted payments from interested parties via CashApp or Zelle. The pseudonym has since been deleted from her social media accounts.
The presiding judge ultimately decided not to dismiss the charges, but also apparently accused officials of imposing excessive charges for the crime.
In court papers before the ruling, legal experts appeared to chide Bragg for being systematically lenient toward violent offenders while meting out punishment to a nonviolent offender like Clifford.
State Supreme Court Justice Brendan T. Lantry agreed in February, when he dismissed felony charges against a couple accused of buying Clifford cards
In an opinion issued shortly afterward, she wrote that Bragg’s office “routinely, on an almost daily basis, takes steps to dismiss significantly more serious charges or entire indictments” to avoid harsher penalties for repeat offenders. Clifford, who has continued to post on social media since her release in early 2022, will be sentenced while receiving credit for time served on July 25.
In an opinion issued shortly afterward, he wrote that Bragg’s office “routinely — almost daily — takes steps to dismiss significantly more serious charges or entire indictments” to avoid harsher penalties for previously convicted offenders or to avoid jeopardizing people’s immigration status.
“These motions filed by (Bragg and his prosecutors) are being made months or even years after the 45-day period to dismiss has expired… sexual assault, drug dealing, robbery, burglary and other violent and nonviolent felonies,” Lantry said.
City Council Minority Leader Joseph Borelli praised the ruling, telling the New York Post: “Imagine prosecuting a scared woman for this, even though she didn’t even use the fake card, while letting the violent perpetrators go free. I’m glad the judge brought this to light for the world to see.”
As for Clifford, who has continued to post on social media since her release in early 2022, she will be sentenced while serving time completed on July 25, authorities said Friday.