GRAFTON, Wisc. (WTMJ) -- The former Wisconsin pharmacist who pleaded guilty in federal court on charges that he tried to spoil dozens of vials of COVID-19 vaccine, was sentenced to three years in prison on Tuesday.
Prosecutors in January charged Steven Brandenburg with two counts of attempting to tamper with consumer products.
He was facing up to 20 years in prison and $500,000 in fines.
Police arrested Brandenburg back in December as part of an investigation into how 57 vials of the Moderna vaccine were left for hours outside a refrigerator. According to officials, Brandenburg took the vials out of a freezer and left them out for more than 12 hours with the intention of making them ineffective.
Brandenburg believed the Moderna vaccine was not safe according to court filings. He said he believed the vaccine "was unsafe for people and altered their DNA," a criminal complaint said.
There is no scientific evidence to support his belief.