Missouri state lawmaker charged with selling fake stem cell treatments and claiming they are a cure for Covid-19
A newly elected Missouri state representative and assistant physician faces charges for allegedly running a fraud scheme in her three clinics and providing prescription drugs illegally, according to federal prosecutors.
Prosecutors in the Western District of Missouri claim that Patricia “Tricia” Ashton Derges, who operates three “Ozark Valley Medical Clinic” locations, sold what she falsely advertised as a stem cell treatment. Court documents cite one instance on April 11, 2020, when Derges wrote a Facebook post about her clinic’s treatment as an “amazing treatment (that) stands to provide a potential cure for Covid-19 patients that is safe and natural.”
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Feb 04, 2021 11:23 AM EST
A Missouri state representative and assistant physician are allegedly running a fraud scheme of fake stem cell use in administering treatments including covid-19 were charged in a 20-count indictment.
Prosecutors in Missouri s Western District say that Patricia Tricia Ashton Derges referred to her falsely marketed fake stem cell therapy as an amazing treatment that stands to provide a potential cure to Covid-19 patients that is safe and natural. Patricia runs three Ozark Valley Medical Clinic sites.
As stated on the grand jury indictment unsealed Monday, Patricia Ashton Derges, 63, reportedly offered so-called regenerative care to clients who came to the Ozark Valley Medical Clinic searching for help for different diseases.
Photo: Patricia Derges
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – An elected Missouri state representative has been indicted by a federal grand jury for a fraud scheme in which she made false claims about a supposed stem cell treatment marketed through her clinics in southern Missouri, and for illegally providing prescription drugs to clients of those clinics.
“This defendant abused her privileged position to enrich herself through deception,” said U.S. Attorney Tim Garrison. “The indictment alleges she lied to her patients and she lied to federal agents. As an elected official and a health care provider, she deserves to be held to a high standard. This grand jury indictment exposes her deception and holds her accountable for her actions.”