"GOP Missouri lawmaker indicted on fraud refuses to resign"

COLUMBIA, Mo. — A Missouri state lawmaker >refused to resign after being indicted on federal fraud charges for falsely claiming a treatment she sold contained stem cells that could help with COVID-19 and other illnesses.

Rep. Tricia Derges in an email to the House speaker this week wrote that her “innocence will prevail.” The Republican from the southeastern Missouri city of Nixa said her lawyer “has this handled.”

“This is very much about innocence. I have done absolutely nothing,” Derges wrote in a Wednesday email to the speaker. “You are certainly aware of how a grand jury works. I believe the famous saying ‘they can (indict) a ham sandwich’ has certainly been demonstrated and used in my case.”

Fellow Republican House Speaker Rob Vescovo stripped Derges of all her committee assignments on Monday, when a 20-count indictment against her was unsealed.

The federal indictment by a grand jury also accuses the 63-year-old of illegally providing prescription drugs to clients and making false statements to federal agents investigating the case.

Vescovo on Wednesday asked Derges to step down.

“I believe that it is in your best interest to devote your time and attention to your family and your legal case at this time,” Vescovo wrote to her. “I care deeply about the integrity of this body, but I care more about the health and well-being of our members.”

Derges told Vescovo that she’ll continue representing her constituents’ by voting even though she no longer serves on committees.

Derges also has not responded to phone and email messages left by The Associated Press seeking comment. She was released on her own recognizance after making an initial court appearance Monday during which she pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

http://www.dailyjournal.net/2021/02/13/ap-us-missouri-lawmaker-indictment-2

"Woman indicted in Detroit-area election threats case"

http://www.therepublic.com/2021/02/13/us-michigan-election-threat

DETROIT — A federal grand jury indicted a woman who is accused of threatening a Detroit-area election official after a stormy November meeting to certify local results in the presidential race.

Katelyn Jones was charged Wednesday with making threats of violence with a phone and through social media.

Jones’ target was Monica Palmer, a Republican member of the Wayne County Board of Canvassers, and her family, investigators said.

Jones, 23, has ties to Olivet, Michigan, but was arrested on a criminal complaint, a temporary charge, in December in New Hampshire, where she was living with her mother.

Jones sent photos of a dead body and threatened Palmer on Nov. 18, the FBI said.

She apparently was upset that Palmer and a fellow Republican on the four-member Board of Canvassers initially refused to certify Wayne County’s election results on Nov. 17, typically a routine step on the way to statewide certification.

<They subsequently certified the totals in favor of Joe Biden after people watching the public meeting on video conference criticized them during a comment period.>

A message seeking comment from Jones’ attorney wasn’t immediately returned Thursday. >Jones was ordered to participate in mental health treatment when she last appeared in Detroit federal court on Jan. 19.