A former Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services supervisor is facing felony charges after investigators say she illegally funneled tens of thousands of dollars in state assistance benefits to her husband.
Lea Meece, of Wymore, is accused of misappropriating more than $43,000 in SNAP and Medicaid funds and providing them to Kyle Ames, her boyfriend at the time and now her husband, according to Gage County court records.
Meece, who began working for DHHS in 2013, allegedly approved fraudulent benefits for Ames between March 2023 and April 2025. The discrepancies were later discovered by another employee in the office, prompting the investigation.
According to a court filing, Meece “knowingly obtain[ed] the property of another, the DHHS,” allegedly issuing $40,350.74 in Medicaid benefits and $2,691 in SNAP benefits to Ames.
Both Meece and Ames are charged with aiding and abetting theft by deception over $5,000, a Class 2 felony, and welfare fraud over $1,500, a Class 4 felony.
The couple was arrested in late October, and bond was posted on Nov. 3, set at 10% of $50,000. They are scheduled for arraignment in separate cases in Gage County Court on Tuesday, Nov. 18.
