Prosecutors have beaten a Republican lawmaker in Missouri with more than a dozen charges after she said she administered a cure for the coronavirus that turned out to be fake.
Patricia Ashton Derges, 63, is facing 20 criminal charges, including wire fraud and spreading via the Internet without a valid prescription for promoting an alleged stem cell treatment marketed by her clinics in southern Missouri, according to a federal deed that was not sealed and reported by the Washington Post.
“This accused abused her privileged position to enrich herself through deception,” U.S. Attorney Tim Garrison said Monday in an indictment. “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. This charge of the grand jury reveals her deception and holds her responsible for her actions. ”
Derges was elected to the state of Missouri in November.
Prosecutors said an investigation into the legislature began 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’.
Prosecutors say the federal indictment accuses Derges of eight charges of wire fraud related to five victims. The victims were among those who lost a total of $ 200,000 in the fraud scheme. 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 FBI in Kansas City, said in a statement. ‘The actions of the defendant are not only a betrayal of the trust, but her actions undermine the core of our trust in a system in which we rely. Derges promised to do no harm as a health worker and was elected to serve the people and not deceive them. She used her position for personal gain and harmed public confidence. ”
Stacie R. Bilyeu, Derges’s lawyer, told the Post that Derges intends to plead not guilty to the charges and called the charge sheet ‘unilateral’.
“The indictment merely contains allegations and the allegations have yet to be proven,” Bilyeu said.
Derges posted a picture of the biblical figures David and Goliath in a Facebook post on Monday, after the charges against her were announced.
“I do not think there was ever a more appropriate picture that would portray today,” she said. “Despite this” Goliath “, I will continue to help the needy and resolve all our rights. Lies and perverted words mean nothing. Truth and justice mean everything. I can stand before God and know that He for “I will smile. Goliath can not take it away as much as he tries. Righteous people can also always see the truth – I trust in this.”