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Amherst doctor charged with taking COVID-19 vaccine dose for his wife

The Erie County District Attorney's office says Dr. Roy DeFrancis took the dose without authorization while volunteering at a COVID-19 vaccine site at ECC South.

BUFFALO, N.Y. — An Amherst doctor is charged with petit larceny after the Erie County Distirct Attorney's office says he took a dose of COVID-19 vaccine for his wife without authorization.

Dr. Roy R. DeFrancis, 74, was arraigned on the charge Friday morning in Hamburg Town Court.

The DA's office said the doctor took the single dose in February while volunteering at a COVID-19 distribution site at the ECC South campus. Dr. DeFrancis allegedly provided the vaccine to his wife, who qualified under NYS guidelines to receive it due to her age.

“This incident occurred during a period of time when there was a limited number of vaccines available to adults with certain qualifications. While it was improper, our investigation found that this doctor’s intention was to bring home a dose of the vaccine to his wife, which potentially may have gone unused before the end of the day. Under New York State guidelines at the time of the alleged incident, his wife did qualify to receive a vaccine, but he should have gone through the proper procedure to make an appointment. Today, there is an abundance of COVID-19 vaccines available and I consented to the dismissal of this case in the interest of justice,” said Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn.

At the arraignment, the DA's office consented to granting the doctor an adjournment in contemplation of dismissal (ACD) which granted by Hamburg Town Court Justice Carl Morgan.

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