A New York doctor has been criminally charged and accused of faking her son’s vaccine record in an attempt to get him into an elementary school, syracuse.com reported.
Shareen Ismail voluntarily surrendered to authorities on December 3, her attorney Chad Davenport told Newsweek.
“Dr. Ismail maintains her innocence and firmly denies the charge of tampering with public records,” Davenport said.
Ismail is a 49-year-old resident of DeWitt and runs the Alexandre Centre for Children’s Health in Manlius, syracuse.com reported.
Newsweek reached out to the DeWitt Police Department for additional information and to request the criminal complaint.
Why It Matters
The criminal charge comes as vaccine requirements and skepticism have become a political talking point, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has praised efforts by the CDC to change the recommended vaccine schedule, saying he “couldn’t be more pleased” when the agency removed the COVID-19 vaccine from the list.
Kennedy’s stance on vaccines mirrors a decline in public support for childhood immunizations. A 2024 Gallup poll shows 40 percent of Americans say it’s extremely important for parents to vaccinate their children, down from 58 percent in 2019 and 64 percent in 2001.
What To Know
Ismail sued the New York State Department of Health last month after she was placed on the “School Vaccination Fraud Awareness” list. The lawsuit stated that the website “falsely accused” Ismail of “vaccination fraud.”
Davenport told Newsweek, “We have voluntarily dismissed that action without prejudice as of today. This procedural step allows Dr. Ismail to focus her full attention and resources on resolving the criminal matter and family court proceedings where the underlying factual disputes must first be addressed.”
Newsweek reached out to the New York State Department of Health for comment.
Ismail was arrested after a pediatrics office told police that her son’s submitted vaccination records were fake, according to court documents obtained by syracuse.com. The records were submitted to Jamesville-DeWitt’s Tecumseh Elementary School, the outlet reported.
Investigators said that a Montessori school administrator reported Ismail to stopvaxfraud@health.ny.gov, a tip line for suspected vaccine fraud, in July, the outlet reported.
The individual said Ismail declined to enroll her child in the school because of the vaccine requirements, according to the outlet. Ismail later submitted immunization papers in 2022 to enroll her son, then submitted updated papers in 2024, according to the outlet.
The school believed there were inconsistencies in the dates of multiple vaccines, the outlet reported.
Investigators said the state vaccination system indicated that the child received many of his vaccines at the Pediatric Urgent Care of Rochester, the outlet reported. Ismail previously worked at the urgent care.
When investigators visited the urgent care, workers said they did not provide routine vaccines and had no record of the child being a patient there, the outlet reported.
Authorities said the records later submitted to Jamesville-DeWitt’s Tecumseh Elementary School included a different pediatric office in Cortland, according to the outlet. The medical director of the Cortland office said the records were forgeries, the outlet reported. State investigators said those records were also inconsistent with the Rochester records, according to the outlet.
What People Are Saying
Chad Davenport, Shareen Ismail’s attorney, in comments to Newsweek: “Dr. Ismail has dedicated her career to the compassionate care of children in Central New York. We are confident that when all the facts are presented in the appropriate forum, she will be fully exonerated.”
DeWitt Police Investigator Jeffrey Conrad, in court documents obtained by syracuse.com: “Review of the records the Defendant offered for filing to Tecumseh Elementary School, were reviewed by the Chief Medical Officer of the Family Health Network, who confirmed them to be fraudulent and did not match the practices (sic) own records for the Defendants Child.”
What Happens Next
Ismail remains free while her criminal case is awaiting possible grand jury action, syracuse.com reported.
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