N.J. doctor, her aide convicted of stem-cell fraudA New Jersey doctor and her assistant were found guilty yesterday of taking thousands of dollars from patients by promising to cure them of Lou Gehrig's disease with a stem-cell therapy they did not, and could not, deliver. A federal jury in Camden found Charlene DeMarco and her aide, Elizabeth Lerner, both of Egg Harbor, guilty on all 11 counts, including conspiracy, mail fraud, wire fraud and money laundering.

During closing arguments of their trial Wednesday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Geni Cowles told jurors that the pair took advantage of people from rural Louisiana who believed the doctor, a Lyme disease expert, could cure their Lou Gehrig's disease-stricken loved ones. "They provided false hope to get funds," Cowles said. "These families scrimped and saved, went to their communities for money, and the defendants took that money and spent it on themselves."

The four patients sent the doctor and her assistant more than $75,000, the jury found. Cowles said they used the money during a weekend at a winery, and on a propane barbecue grill, among other purchases. Lou Gehrig's disease, formally known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is a degenerative disease of the nervous system that causes muscle weakness and eventual paralysis. There is no known cure. - AP