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Missouri state lawmaker charged with selling fake stem cell treatments and claiming they are a cure for Covid-19
Here's some of the juicy quotes:
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."
However, Derges actually administered a substance called "amniotic fluid allograft" to patients, according to authorities. It's a substance the University of Utah told investigators it sold to her for about $244 for 1 milliliter, according to the indictment. Authorities claim Derges knew the product did not contain any cells, including stem cells. In total, Derges' patients paid her approximately $191,815.00 for amniotic fluid that did not contain stem cells, the documents say. She charged her patients $950 to $1,450 per milliliter, according to court documents.
Derges, a Republican, has pleaded not guilty, according to her attorney, Stacey Bilyeu, who stressed she is "presumed innocent until proven guilty."
Modified by eDrek at Thu, Feb 04, 2021, 11:21:00
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