Portland’s counseling community is under intense scrutiny after the Oregon Department of Justice issued criminal charges and guilty pleas in three separate Multnomah County Medicaid cases this week. The prosecutions include a Portland counseling firm and two therapists, and investigators say they vary from fraudulent invoicing to personal perks allegedly related to Medicaid-funded services. The Medicaid Fraud Unit spearheaded the investigations, and the cases are part of a larger effort to protect Oregon Health Plan funds for low-income and vulnerable patients.
What prosecutors allege
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According to KGW, prosecutors allege that Roberto Felipe Munoz and his company, Munoz Counseling LLC, submitted Medicaid claims to CareOregon between March and August 15, 2025, requesting benefits they were not entitled to. Munoz faces 18 felony charges, including fabricating false claims for health care payments, aggravated theft, and aggravated identity theft.
According to KGW, therapist Zoe Thiele-Seidenberg pled guilty on February 24 to two felony counts of making false representations. In that case, she surrendered her therapy license and was sentenced to a short jail term, probation, and community service.
In a separate case, KGW reports that on February 25, therapist Haley Sanchez pled guilty to first-degree larceny and fabricating a false claim. Prosecutors claim she used her position to provide gift cards to herself and others. Sanchez received a jail sentence and probation, as well as a reparation order.
DOJ context
The Oregon Department of Justice’s Medicaid Fraud Unit says the Multnomah County prosecutions are part of an ongoing effort to combat provider misbehavior and keep Medicaid monies where they belong: paying for patient care. According to the Oregon Department of Justice, the unit has obtained more than 250 criminal convictions and recovered more than $90 million in Medicaid-related cases over the last decade.
In the department’s statement, Attorney General Dan Rayfield described scams targeting public health programs as “a betrayal of public trust.” The Medicaid Fraud Unit, which receives federal grant funds, frequently collaborates with insurance companies and local prosecutors when odd or questionable billing patterns prompt an inquiry.
Legal implications
Making a fraudulent claim for health care payment is a crime under Oregon Revised Statutes (ORS 165.692), and similar offenses can be charged several times. ORS 165.803 addresses aggravated identity theft, while ORS 164.055 defines first-degree theft. These statutes have felony penalties, which may include prison time, fines, restitution, and professional license revocation.
Prosecutors believe the Multnomah County filings fit clearly within those statutes, and they point out that plea deals in the instances mandated restitution payments and, in at least one case, the surrender of a professional license.
Why it matters locally
The timing of these prosecutions is particularly notable. Oregon’s Medicaid program is already facing financial hardship and increased scrutiny after state auditors discovered millions of dollars in potentially incorrect payments. An OPB investigation released in April projected $15 million in possible inappropriate payments inside the Oregon Health Plan.
State and municipal authorities assert that they intend to implement stricter billing standards, including criminal charges against providers, to safeguard every dollar in the program. The purpose, they maintain, is to ensure that limited Medicaid dollars are not surreptitiously siphoned away, but rather stay available for frontline patient care and key health services throughout Multnomah County and the state.
