29-04-2025
Sioux City mental health counselor charged with fraud and theft sentenced to probation
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) — A mental health counselor in Sioux City who was accused of fraudulently billing insurance will be on probation for two years.
According to court documents, Amy Hecht, 40, received the sentence after pleading guilty in Jan. 2025 to second-degree theft and in March 2025 to third-degree fraudulent practice. The court deferred judgment for the former charge and handed Hecht a suspended two-year prison sentence for the latter.
She had previously been charged with twelve counts of fraudulent submission, one count of second-degree theft, one count of third-degree fraudulent practice, and one count of tampering with records. 13 charges were dismissed as part of the plea agreement.
Hecht was a licensed mental health counselor and the owner of Foundations Mental Health Center in Sioux City. Officials claimed Hecht allegedly provided false medical codes on patients' bills to provide additional reimbursement she was not entitled to.
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Court documents state that Hecht frequently used a specific billing code for 'additional needs or work or complications occur during treatment for a patient.' Employees noticed the code being added to their treatment notes and the billing even though they never added the code themselves. The code was allegedly used fraudulently 218 times between 13 patients using insurance, with 261 false entries into patients' medical records for Medicaid.
When confronted, Hecht admitted that officials were not far off in their belief that they would find more records of her adding the code to patients' billings and documentation.
She initially pleaded not guilty to 15 charges before pleading guilty to just the two.
In addition to the two years of probation, Hecht will also have to pay a total of $11,396.62 in restitution (at least $300 a month) and complete 50 hours of community service.
Wesley Thoene contributed to this report.
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