Derges’ actions were a betrayal of trust instilled in her as both a health professional and a government official, Special Agent in Charge Timothy Langan, of the FBI’s Kansas City office, said.
“Derges vowed to do no harm as a health care professional and was elected to serve the people, not deceive them,” Langan said. “She used her position for personal gain and damaged the public’s trust.”
According to the indictment, Derges administered the treatment to patients with the promise that stem cells would help alleviate a range of health issues, from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease to erectile dysfunction. Derges, an assistant physician who got her medical degree from Caribbean Medical University of Curacao in May 2014, allegedly gave the treatments herself.
The clinic obtained amniotic fluid through the University of Utah for about $244.00 per ml. Derges then charged her patients $950 to $1,450 per ml of amniotic fluid, the indictment said, with some paying as much as $6,500 for what they thought were treatments with stem cells.
Patients paid Derges approximately $191,815 for amniotic fluid that did not contain stem cells, the indictment claims.
Federal prosecutors for the Western District of Missouri said Derges had multiple email exchanges in 2019 to the Director of Cell Therapy and Regenerative Medicine at the University of Utah, who told her that the fluid did not contain stem cells.
Derges was hit with eight counts of wire fraud in relation to charging the patients, who were not identified, for the allegedly fake stem cell treatment. Each count comes with a maximum sentence of a $250,000 fine and 20 years in prison.