A jury found her guilty of 22 federal charges last week and she resigned from the Missouri House of Representatives.
She was found guilty of wire fraud, illegal distribution of controlled substances and making false statements to federal investigators in the conclusion of her trial last week. She resigned her seat in a letter to the speaker.
"For many years, it has been my honor to serve the lord by providing medical care to thousands of forgotten citizens in SW Missouri: the homeless, our veterans, the impoverished and uninsured," he said. The work I did was the most rewarding.
She lied to patients about "stem cell" treatments that did not contain stem cells and received federal aid money for her nonprofit, Lift Up.
A lawmaker was found guilty of wire fraud.
The jury decided to allow the government to keep $300,000 in CARES Act money she received for her clinic's COVID-19 testing that had already been reimbursed prior.
Missouri's assistant physician program needs to be expanded. She wanted to allow them to become licensed in order to relieve labor shortages in the field.
She called the lack of access to licensing for assistant physicians a "tragedy" in her resignation letter.
The value of the program will one day be appreciated. We can't afford to lose the doctors that we need.
A bill was filed in the last legislative session to allow assistant physicians to get a license. She was stripped of much of her power in Jefferson City after she was indicted by a federal grand jury. She was demoted to a broom closet-sized office in the Capitol building and kicked out of House Republican caucus meetings. Lawmakers want to tighten requirements to be licensed as a doctor.
She won't be in Jefferson City for the special session on taxes and the veto session later this year. She will be sentenced in the near future.
She wasn't allowed to run for re-election as a Republican because she was convicted of a crime. Two Republicans, Jamie Ray Gragg and Danny Garrison, and a Democrat, Amy Freeland, are vying for the same seat.
The News-Leader has a reporter covering Missouri politics. He can be contacted via email at gbacharier@news-leader.com or on the social media platform of his choice.
The original story was published on Springfield News-Leader.
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