A New York couple was charged using a new state law after they showed fake vaccine cards to attend a Buffalo Bills game, officials say

• A New York couple used fake COVID-19 vaccine cards to attend a Buffalo Bills game, authorities say.
• Michael and Amber Naab were charged with one count of criminal possession of a forged instrument in the second degree.

A New York couple was charged after they used fake COVID-19 vaccine cards to attend a football game earlier this month, according to authorities.

Amber Naab, 37, and Michael Naab, 34, were both charged with one count of criminal possession of a forged instrument in the second degree, the Erie County District Attorney's Office said Wednesday. According to the district attorney's office, the couple showed the fake vaccine cards at Highmark Stadium for a Buffalo Bill's game on January 15, violating the establishment's vaccination policy.

Insider was unable to reach the Naabs for comment. Their lawyers did not immediately return Insider's request for comment Saturday.

It was the first case charged in the county under New York's new "Truth in Vaccination" law, the district attorney's office said. It was signed into law by Gov. Kathy Hochul late last year and established the COVID-19 vaccination card as a "written instrument for purposes of the forgery statute."

"This legislation ensures that as New York opens up and many businesses choose to rely on checking vaccination status, the falsification of vaccination records will not be tolerated," Hochul's office said in December.

The couple, arrested on January 25, pleaded not guilty to the charges on Tuesday, a spokesperson for the district attorney told CNN.

At a press conference on Wednesday, District Attorney John Flynn said authorities questioned the couple during the third quarter of the game. Flynn said the couple was already "on the Buffalo Bills' radar" after it was reported they posted about using the phony vaccine cards on social media.

"Allegedly there had been some social media activity in previous games," Flynn said at the press conference. "Someone saw it on social media and called the Buffalo Bills or called the health department and made an anonymous tip that these two individuals were allegedly posting that they had been gotten into Bills games prior using a vax card."

The couple will appear in court on February 22, Flynn said. They face a maximum of seven years in prison, if convicted, but Flynn said they would not serve such a lengthy sentence, WIVB reported.

"I readily admit this is not the crime of the century," he said, adding he didn't intend to make an example of the couple.

Two nurses in Long Island this week were also charged under the new legislation, accused of running a vaccine card scheme.

The sale of fake cards reportedly surged after President Joe Biden announced his intention to mandate vaccines last year, a measure which has since been struck down by the Supreme Court. Buyers have used messaging apps like Telegram to purchase them, Insider previously reported.