Missouri Rep. Patricia Derges Removed From House Committees After Charged With Selling Fake Stem Cell Treatment for COVID-19

By Angela Lopez de Leon Feb 05 2021, 05:56 AM EST

Missouri state representative Patricia "Tricia" Derges has been removed from the House committees she was involved in after a grand jury indicted her on fraud charges for falsely marketing a treatment containing stem cells that could allegedly treat various diseases, including COVID-19.

Patricia Derges, who is also a licensed assistant physician, was removed from the Health and Mental Health Policy Committee, Professional Registration and Licensing Committee, and Special Committee on Small Business on Monday, according to an Ozarksfirst report.

The 63-year-old Nixa legislator operates three Ozark Valley Medical Clinic sites in Ozark, Branson, and Springfield. She was elected as a Missouri state representative in District 140 last November.

According to prosecutors, Derges administered amniotic fluid, which she claimed contained stem cells, to treat patients suffering from various diseases, including COVID-19, kidney disease, Lyme disease, erectile dysfunction, and urinary incontinence.

Prosecutors also said Patricia Derges advertised her treatment during consultations, media interviews, seminars, and social media, touting it as an "amazing treatment" to "provide a potential cure for COVID-19 patients that is safe and natural."

U.S. Attorney for Missouri's Western District Tim Garrison said Derges was telling people that the amniotic fluid she used was a "stem cell shot" and that it contained "mesenchymal stem cells."

But according to Garrison, Patricia Derges was using "acellular" amniotic fluid that does not contain "cells, stem cells or any other type of cells."

"Her claims regarding her ability to treat COVID-19 were part of a broader pattern of misleading and deceiving patients and potential patients about treating them with stem cells," Garrison said in a USA Today report.

Garrison added that the lawmaker abused her privileged position to enrich herself through deception. A National Institutes of Health panel does not recommend stem cells use for COVID-19 outside of clinical trials.

Other Charges Patricia Derges are Facing Apart From Alleged Stem Cell Scheme

Aside from falsely promoting a treatment as having stem cells, Patricia Derges was also accused of illegally providing prescription drugs and making false statements to federal agents investigating the case, CBS News reported.

She was also facing eight counts of wire fraud related to five specific victims, who lost a total of nearly $200,000 in the fraud scheme between December 2018 and May 2020.

According to a People report, the investigation stemmed from the false statements made by Derges in a television interview on April 2020 "regarding her potential use of stem cells to treat COVID-19."

Derges' attorney, Stacie Bilyeu, said the lawmaker pleaded "not guilty" to all charges in her initial court appearance Monday afternoon and was released without bond.

Derges' case is set for jury trial on March 22. The felony charges that Patricia Derges are facing carry a possible sentence of hundreds of years in jail and millions of dollars in fines. A conviction could also force her from office and bar her from ever seeking federal office again in Missouri.