A Missouri state representative has been charged in a charge of twenty men alleging that she fraudulently administered treatments, including to Covid-19, who falsely claims to have stem cells.
Patricia Ashton Derges, 63, allegedly gave so-called “regenerative” treatments to clients who came to Ozark Valley Medical Clinic to seek treatment for various diseases, according to a complaint from the jury that was unsealed Monday.
The clinic offered its patients amniotic fluid that claims to have stem cells, but was in fact acellular, without stem cells.
After Derges made false allegations on a Springfield television station in April that stem cells could treat Covid-19, an investigation was launched, the FBI said in a statement on Monday.
And on Facebook, Derges claims that her clinic “offers incredible treatment to provide a potential cure for COVID-19 patients that is safe and natural,” the indictment reads.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, she surrendered Monday and was released after an initial appearance in federal court.
Derges’ actions were a betrayal of trust instilled in her, said a health worker and a government official, Timothy Langan, special agent of the FBI’s office in Kansas City.
“Derges promised not to do any harm as a health worker, and was elected to serve the people and not deceive them,” Langan said. “She used her position for personal gain and harmed public confidence.”
According to the indictment, Derges administered the treatment to patients with the promise that stem cells would help alleviate a variety of health issues, from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease to erectile dysfunction. Derges, a medical doctor who obtained her medical degree from the Caribbean Medical University of Curacao in May 2014, allegedly gave the treatments herself.
The clinic obtained amniotic fluid from the University of Utah for approximately $ 244.00 per ml. Derges then charged her patients $ 950 to $ 1,450 per ml of amniotic fluid, according to the indictment, while some paid as much as $ 6,500 for what they said were stem cell treatments.
Patients paid Derges about $ 191,815 for amniotic fluid that did not contain stem cells.
Federal prosecutors for the Western District of Missouri said Derges conducted several email exchanges in 2019 with the director of cell therapy and regenerative medicine at the University of Utah, who told her the fluid did not contain stem cells.
Derges was hit with eight charges of wire fraud in connection with the charge of the patients, who were not identified, for the alleged false stem cell treatment. Each count carries a maximum sentence of a fine of $ 250,000 and 20 years in prison.
She is also facing two charges for making “materially false, fictitious and fraudulent” statements about her amniotic fluid treatments last year to federal investigators, each serving a five-year prison sentence.
Prosecutors also alleged that Derges prescribed Oxycodone and Adderall online to humans without a proper medical evaluation. She faces ten charges of spreading the Internet without a valid prescription, each of which carries a maximum of 20 years in prison.
“This accused abused her privileged position to enrich herself through deception,” U.S. Attorney Tim Garrison said in the FBI statement. “According to the indictment, she lied to her patients and to federal agents. As an elected official and a healthcare provider, she deserves to stand on a high standard. ‘
Derges, a Republican, was elected to a two-year term in November after being offered unopposed for State House 140. She did not immediately respond to a request for comment, which was sent to her government email address.
Derges quoted the biblical story of David and Goliath in a Facebook post Monday night, claiming that God would be on her side.
‘Lies and twisted words mean nothing. Truth and justice mean everything, ”reads the report. ‘I can stand before God and know that He will smile for me. Goliath cannot take it away as much as he tries. ”
Stacie Calhoun Bilyeu, a lawyer for Derges, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from NBC News. She told the Kansas City Star that she was ‘limited’ in what she could say about the case and that her client denied guilt on all charges.
“Dr. Despite what it looked like yesterday, Derges was not found guilty or convicted,” Bilyeu said.
