Wymore Couple Charged with Fraud and Theft

A former Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (NDHHS) supervisor has been charged with fraud and theft along with her husband. Lea D. Meece, age 39, and her husband, Kyle W. Ames, both of Wymore, are each charged in Gage County with theft by deception of more than $5,000, a class 2A felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison, and fraud, a class 4 felony punishable by up to two years in prison and a $10,000 fine.Both defendants were arraigned on Tuesday, November 18. Jeffrey A. Gaertig was the presiding judge.Meece requested court-appointed counsel and Judge Gaertig assigned attorney Lee Timan to represent her. Ames indicated he would be hiring his own attorney. According to an arrest affidavit, Meece was an employee of DHHS and used her position to facilitate Ames in obtaining Medicaid and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to which he was not entitled. Keith Miskie, Fraud Investigator with NDHHS, wrote, “Lea Meece used her position as a NDHHS Medicaid supervisor to ensure that Kyle Ames obtained benefits that he was otherwise not entitled to by falsifying records and employment verifications.”The affidavit further notes, “Lea Meece’s actions as a NDHHS Medicaid supervisor assisted Kyle Ames in receiving $43,041.74 of illegally obtained benefit payments from NDHHS for the period of March 2021 through April 2025.” Both defendants are currently free on $50,000 (10 percent) bonds apiece.Further hearings for each defendant are scheduled for December 11, 2025.

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