Prosecutors have slapped a Republican state legislature in Missouri with more than a dozen charges after saying she administered a cure for the coronavirus that turned out to be fake.
Patricia Ashton Derges, 63, is facing 20 criminal charges, including telegraphic fraud and internet distribution without a valid prescription for promoting an alleged stem cell treatment marketed through her clinics in southern Missouri, according to a federal indictment that has not been sealed and reported by the Washington Post.
“This defendant abused her privileged position to enrich herself through deception,” US attorney Tim Garrison said in an announcement of the charges on Monday. According to the charges, she lied to her patients and federal agents. As an elected public servant and healthcare provider, she deserves to be held to a high standard. This grand jury indictment exposes her deceit and holds her responsible for her actions. “
Derges was elected to the Missouri state house in November.
Prosecutors said an investigation into the legislature had begun as a result of false or misleading statements she made to a local television station in April 2020 about her “possible use of stem cells to treat COVID-19.”
The federal indictment accuses Derges of eight counts of wire fraud involving five victims, prosecutors said. The victims were among those who lost an estimated total of $ 200,000 in the fraud plan. Derges is not a physician but is licensed as an assistant physician.
“We place our hope and trust in health care providers and government officials,” Timothy Langan, a special agent in charge of the Kansas City FBI, said in a statement. “Not only are the actions of the defendant a violation of that trust, but her actions are at the heart of our trust in a system on which we rely. Derges promised to do no harm as a health care professional and was chosen to serve the people, not mislead them. She used her position for personal gain and damaged public confidence. “
Stacie R. Bilyeu, Derges’s attorney, told the Post Derges intends not to be guilty of the charges, calling the charges “one-sided.”
“The charges are only allegations and those charges have yet to be proven,” Bilyeu said.
On Monday, Derges posted a photo of biblical figures David and Goliath in a Facebook post after the charges against her were announced.
“I don’t think there has ever been a more appropriate image that will portray this day,” she said. Despite this ‘Goliath’ I will continue to help those in need and stand up for the rights of all of us. Lies and twisted words mean nothing. Truth and justice mean everything. I can stand before God and know that He will smile at me Goliath can’t take that away as much as he tries. Righteous people are also always able to discern the truth – I trust that. “