Katy Ivy Baumann pleads guilty to dealing with proceeds of crime

A Lara woman who helped people obtain Covid vaccination certificates when they actually weren’t jabbed has fronted court.

Kate Ivy Baumann.

A Lara woman conspired with a nurse to accept payments to help people obtain illegitimate Covid jab certificates.

Kate Ivy Baumann, 34, pleaded guilty in the Geelong Magistrates’ Court to dealing with the proceeds of crime and was convicted and sentenced to a $3000 fine.

The court heard Baumann, along with her co-offender Aimee Sibson, 39, would help people to register as having had a Covid vaccine when they actually had not.

Police prosecutor Senior Constable Andrew Clapham said in 2021 Sibson was working as a nurse and involved in administering vaccines.

Constable Clapham said Sibson had access to a Covid Vaccination Management System (CVMS).

The court heard staff became suspicious of Sibson because she would record vaccinations on the CVMS within one minute of a patient checking in.

Resulting investigations revealed Baumann received numerous payments from various people totalling $3000.

Constable Clapham said Baumann was a middleman.

Sibson pleaded guilty in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court in August this year to unauthorised access of restricted data and was sentenced to a community corrections order for 18 months.

In sentencing Baumann, Magistrate Peter Mellas told the court he was considering prison as a form of punishment.

“She put people at risk and she made money out of it,” Mr Mellas said.

“That’s what she did.”

Mr Mellas said Baumann impacted the integrity of the vaccination system.

“People who didn’t want to be vaccinated would go to her and be put on the register as having been vaccinated,” he said.

“What do you think the people who did go out there and get vaccinated and have friends and relatives who contracted Covid … what do you reckon they would be saying?”.

Mr Mellas said he was surprised she was only charged with knowingly dealing with the proceeds of crime.

“This behaviour created a public risk,” he said.

Originally published as Katy Ivy Baumann pleads guilty to dealing with proceeds of crime