Former State Legislator Sentenced to over Six Years in Prison for COVID-19 Fraud Scheme
- March 03, 2023
Patricia “Tricia” Ashton Derges, a former Missouri state representative, was sentenced to six years and three months in federal prison without parole for a nearly $900,000 COVID-19 fraud scheme, as well as a separate $200,000 fraud scheme in which she made false claims about a fake stem cell treatment and illegally provided prescription drugs to clients of her clinics, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri Teresa Moore announced February 28.
Derges was convicted of three counts of wire fraud for attempting to receive nearly $900,000 in funds under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. According to a press release, Derges actually was awarded $296,574 in CARES Act funds for Lift Up, even though Lift Up did not provide any COVID-19 testing services to its patients. Derges also sought CARES Act funding for COVID-19 testing that had been provided, and already paid for, at her for-profit Ozark Valley Medical Clinic.
Derges also was convicted of seven counts of wire fraud related to a nearly $200,000 fraud scheme from December 2018 to May 2020, in which Derges marketed a stem cell treatment that actually utilized amniotic fluid that did not contain any stem cells.
Finally, Derges was convicted of two counts of making false statements to federal agents investigating this case.