Republican congresswoman Patricia Derges, of Nixa, Missouri, will serve yet another legislative session in exile after being removed from committee assignments and kicked out of the state’s GOP caucus following her 20-count federal indictment in February for allegedly selling fake stem-cell treatments and fraudulently using federal pandemic relief funds, The Missouri Independent reported Friday.
According to the news outlet, Derge’s trial was supposed to begin on Monday, but her attorney asked the court for a delay because a witness for the prosecution suffered a stroke that prevented her from being able to testify. U.S. Chief Magistrate Judge David Rush agreed, moving the jury trial to June 6, 2022.
The report noted that “Derges caught the attention of federal investigators when she did television interviews claiming she was working with the University of Utah on an FDA-approved research project to determine if stem cells were effective against COVID-19.”
Initially, federal prosecutors charged Derges in February for medical fraud, writing illegal prescriptions and lying to investigators. She was alleged to have obtained sterile fluid, which contained no stem cells, from the University of Utah at a cost of $250 per milliliter, then administering it to patients, telling them it contained stem cells and charging $950 to $1,450 per milliliter.
The investigation identified eight patients who had paid Derges from $1,905 to $6,500 for stem cell treatments and $191,815 in total for such treatments.
In March, she was slapped with additional charges for allegedly taking $300,000 in federal aid intended for her nonprofit clinic and using it instead to pay for tests that patients at her for-profit clinic had already paid for.
Derges, a fervent supporter of Donald Trump, has denied any wrongdoing and refused to resign her legislative seat, The Missouri Independent reported.
You can read the entire report here.