Former Missouri lawmaker sentenced for fraud schemes

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — A former Missouri state representative has been sentenced to six years and three months in federal prison without parole for fraud schemes involving medical clinics in southwest Missouri. Tricia Derges, a Republican from Nixa, Missouri, was sentenced Tuesday and ordered to pay $500,600 in restitution. Derges was convicted in June of 2022 of 22 counts. Prosecutors said she falsely claimed she was giving patients stem cell treatments, illegally provided prescription drugs and fraudulently filed claims for nearly $900,000 in COVID-19 relief funds. She was an assistant physician at several clinics in southwest Missouri. The Republican was elected to the Missouri House of Representatives in 2020 and resigned days after she was convicted.