Barbara B. Witte, 74, of Evansville, Indiana, was convicted of felony healthcare fraud and sentenced to two years of federal probation. Witte was also ordered to pay $186,347.55 in restitution and a $50,000 fine. Witte was a licensed mental health counselor. She provided counseling services for patients in Evansville and Vanderburgh County through her business, B-One Counseling. She billed healthcare benefit programs, including Medicaid and Medicare, for medical services she provided. Between January 2014 and July 2018, Witte submitted over 2,000 materially false and fraudulent claims to Medicaid and Medicare. The claims were fraudulent because Witte had not actually provided services to the patients identified in the claims. Medicaid and Medicare processed Witte’s false claims and paid her for services she never provided. Witte’s conduct caused a loss of $146,334.51 to the Medicaid program, and $40,013.04 to the Medicare program.
