© 2024 University of Missouri - KBIA
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

GOP Missouri Lawmaker Indicted On Fraud Charges Refuses To Resign

A Missouri state lawmaker says she won't resign despite being indicted on federal fraud charges.

Republican Rep. Tricia Derges declined to step down in an email to the House speaker this week. The speaker asked her to resign after a federal grand jury indicted her on fraud charges for falsely claiming a treatment she sold contained stem cells that could help with COVID-19 and other illnesses. Derges says her innocence will prevail. She was removed from all committees earlier this week.

She says she'll continue representing her constituents by voting.

The Associated Press is one of the largest and most trusted sources of independent newsgathering, supplying a steady stream of news to its members, international subscribers and commercial customers. AP is neither privately owned nor government-funded; instead, it's a not-for-profit news cooperative owned by its American newspaper and broadcast members.