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Texas lawmaker accused of spending state funds on 'Jesus shot' and rodeo
Source: The Guardian
Texas lawmaker accused of spending state funds on 'Jesus shot' and rodeo
Tom Dart in Houston
Thursday 14 April 2016 19.39 BST
From cupcakes to calf-roping to a miracle cure, Sid Miller’s colourful career as Texas’s agriculture commissioner has taken on a darker hue with the news that he is the latest high-ranking official in the state to face a criminal investigation.
The Texas Rangers are examining claims that Miller misused taxpayer funds by flying to Oklahoma to receive the “Jesus shot”, reportedly a $300 injection said to cure chronic pain for life. The injection is only available from a physician known as “Dr Mike”, whose medical license in Ohio was revoked after he was convicted of multiple felonies including healthcare fraud and tax evasion.
The Rangers have also been asked to consider allegations that Miller spent about $2,000 in state and campaign funds to fly to Mississippi and compete in a rodeo. News of the trips – both in February last year, a month after Miller took office – was revealed by the Houston Chronicle, which said that Miller spent two days competing in calf-roping contests at the Dixie National Rodeo and won $880.
The advocacy group Progress Texas filed a criminal complaint last month requesting that the Rangers investigate Miller for the Oklahoma visit.
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Tom Dart in Houston
Thursday 14 April 2016 19.39 BST
From cupcakes to calf-roping to a miracle cure, Sid Miller’s colourful career as Texas’s agriculture commissioner has taken on a darker hue with the news that he is the latest high-ranking official in the state to face a criminal investigation.
The Texas Rangers are examining claims that Miller misused taxpayer funds by flying to Oklahoma to receive the “Jesus shot”, reportedly a $300 injection said to cure chronic pain for life. The injection is only available from a physician known as “Dr Mike”, whose medical license in Ohio was revoked after he was convicted of multiple felonies including healthcare fraud and tax evasion.
The Rangers have also been asked to consider allegations that Miller spent about $2,000 in state and campaign funds to fly to Mississippi and compete in a rodeo. News of the trips – both in February last year, a month after Miller took office – was revealed by the Houston Chronicle, which said that Miller spent two days competing in calf-roping contests at the Dixie National Rodeo and won $880.
The advocacy group Progress Texas filed a criminal complaint last month requesting that the Rangers investigate Miller for the Oklahoma visit.
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Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/apr/14/texas-lawmaker-sid-miller-rodeo