Federal prosecutors have charged Missouri Rep. Tricia Derges, R-Christian County, for allegedly misleading local officials to secure a pandemic grant worth nearly $300,000, reports the Springfield News-Leader.
Ms. Derges, who operates several local medical clinics, had Greene County, Mo., officials reimburse her for COVID-19 tests patients had already paid her for, according to the March 26 filing. The representative allegedly said she needed the money to cover the cost of free tests for low-income individuals provided by her nonprofit, Lift Up Someone Today.
Ms. Derges provided invoices totaling $296,574 for more than 3,000 tests. However, those tests were actually provided by her for-profit company, Ozark Valley Medical Clinic, where patients already had paid about $517,000 for the tests, according to the indictment.
When she received the check from county officials for the nonprofit, Ms. Derges is accused of transferring the funds to the company's account.
The charges are in addition to a Feb. 1 indictment that accuses Ms. Derges of giving patients a fake stem cell treatment, illegally distributing prescription drugs and lying to federal agents.
Ms. Derges pleaded not guilty to the initial charges Feb. 1. Her attorney, Al Watkins, when asked about the March 26 charges, said, "Much like the prior allegations, they are borne of a whole absence of appropriate due diligence that would obviate the ongoing waste of federal resources," according to the News-Leader.
A trial has been set for early May.