Now former Missouri state Rep. Tricia Derges has resigned her seat because she has been convicted by a federal jury of 22 charges that included wire fraud, distributing drugs over the internet without a valid prescription, and making false statements to a federal law enforcement agent.
Derges, a fully Trumpian MAGA crazy, is a piece of work, as this article about her original indictment attests:
A Missouri GOP state lawmaker has been indicted on federal fraud charges after she allegedly sold nearly $200,000 worth of fake stem-cell treatments she claimed could cure various illnesses, including COVID-19, at her medical clinics.
The 20-count grand jury indictment unsealed Monday also accuses 63-year-old Rep. Tricia Derges, a Republican from Nixa, of illegally providing prescription drugs to clients and making false statements to federal agents investigating the case.
Derges was released on her own recognizance after making an initial court appearance during which she pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
State Rep. Tricia Derges, 63, is a Republican from Nixa, Missouri
Her defense attorney, Stacie Bilyeu, said that after the U.S. attorney’s office held a news conference to announce the indictment, Derges’ social media was flooded with comments by people who assumed by what they heard that she was guilty, which she called unfortunate.
‘These are just allegations, these are just charges,’ Bilyeu said. ‘Dr. Derges hasn’t been convicted of a thing and she is presumed innocent until, and if, she is — and that simply hasn’t happened yet.’
Derges took to Facebook … and sounded a defiant note, writing in a post in part: ‘Lies and twisted words mean nothing. Truth and righteousness mean everything. I can stand before God and know that He will smile at me.’
Prosecutors say Derges administered amniotic fluid, which she falsely claimed contained stem cells, as a treatment to patients who suffered from various diseases, including erectile dysfunction, Lyme disease and urinary incontinence.
” I can stand before God and know that He will smile at me.”
LOL.
Yeah, not so much, apparently.
