A federal judge has turned down a request to dismiss Medicaid fraud charges filed last year against a Republican state lawmaker from southwest Missouri.<\/p>\n
In a decision issued Monday, U.S. District Court Judge Brian Wimes agreed with a December ruling by a federal magistrate that Rep. Patricia Derges\u2019 request for a dismissal was \u201cillogical and frivolous,\u201d as well as \u201cdisjointed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Derges\u2019 attorney, Albert Watkins of Clayton, had sought a dismissal alleging a witness in the case, U.S. Attorney Shannon Kempf, had directed a Medicaid fraud unit.<\/p>\n
In recommending the court reject Watkins\u2019 claim, U.S. Magistrate David Rush said Watkins\u2019 motion was \u201cunclear and unsupported, given the inclusion of irrelevant facts and hyperbole, as well as the lack of clarity and sufficient legal analysis.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGiven the meandering factual allegations and arguments in her brief, it seems that defendant is attempting to weave an elaborate (and largely, unsubstantiated) narrative, implying that Mr. Kempf (and relatedly, the government) targeted defendant for some nefarious purpose, likely politically motivated, given the timing of her candidacy announcement, swearing-in ceremony as state representative, and the filing of the charges against her,\u201d Rush wrote. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch<\/strong><\/a>]<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
The incompetent representing the fraudulent, apparently. I wonder how her spacious legislative quarters worked out. Did she have to cling to that, too?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In the midst of an ennui affliction, this, from nearly a year ago, made me laugh: A Missouri lawmaker facing federal fraud charges is learning what legislative exile is like. Days after Rep. Tricia Derges was kicked out of the Republican caucus for allegedly falsely promoting a medical treatment that \u2026 Continue reading