Chicago Psychiatrist Kirk Hopkins Sentenced to 3 Years for Billing Psychotherapy That Never Happened

Case from 2018–2022 (U.S. Attorney's Office release: June 28, 2018; later developments are from court records and other sources cited below). Published on Scammers.com Oct. 16, 2026; case status is current as of that date.

Dr. Kirk Hopkins, a Chicago psychiatrist, was one of several Chicago-area medical professionals charged in June 2018 as part of what the Justice Department called the largest health care fraud enforcement action in its history. Prosecutors alleged he earned more than $5.5 million by billing Medicaid and Medicare for psychotherapy services that were never performed [1].

Outcome: Hopkins pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud. On Oct. 7, 2020, judgment was entered sentencing him to 36 months in prison and one year of supervised release and ordering $3,189,007.88 in restitution, according to a 2022 Drug Enforcement Administration decision published in the Federal Register [2]. Illinois indefinitely suspended his medical license effective Dec. 24, 2020, and the DEA revoked his controlled-substance registration in 2022 [2].

This article covers only Dr. Hopkins. Other Chicago-area defendants announced in the same takedown are not covered here.

How the scheme worked

According to Hopkins' plea agreement, as quoted in the DEA decision [2]:

1. A day program: Hopkins owned and controlled a facility that said it provided psychotherapy to Medicaid and Medicare beneficiaries who were bused from group homes and nursing homes to the clinic for a day program.
2. Sessions that didn't happen: He submitted, or caused others to submit, claims for individual psychotherapy and other psychiatric services that were not provided.
3. Patients who weren't there: Some claims were for people who could not have received the services because they were in a hospital or had died.
4. Kickbacks: He also paid cash, and had employees pay cash, as kickbacks, the decision said.
5. The money: He admitted receiving about $3,365,616 from the false claims, which ran from about 2008 through May 2014.

The person charged

Dr. Kirk Hopkins, of Chicago (44 when charged)

• Indictment (June 2018): five counts of wire fraud; he pleaded not guilty before U.S. District Judge Joan H. Lefkow [1].
• Plea: guilty to two counts of wire fraud under a plea agreement [2].
• Sentence (judgment Oct. 7, 2020): 36 months in prison, one year of supervised release and $3,189,007.88 in restitution [2]. The court docket shows the case closed the same day [3].
• Licenses: Illinois medical license indefinitely suspended effective Dec. 24, 2020; DEA registration revoked in a decision published April 11, 2022 [2].
• Investigation: The Illinois State Police Medicaid Fraud Control Bureau provided substantial help, prosecutors said [1].

Red flags for families and group-home staff

• Residents bused to a "day program" where no one can describe the therapy they received.
• Billing statements listing individual therapy sessions your relative doesn't remember.
• Claims dated while a resident was hospitalized, or after a death.
• Cash or gifts offered to staff for sending residents to a program.

What to do if you're concerned

1. Ask for the treatment plan and session notes for any therapy billed under your relative's name.
2. Review Medicare Summary Notices and Medicaid statements for services that don't match reality.
3. Report suspected fraud to the HHS-OIG hotline (1-800-HHS-TIPS) or the Illinois State Police Medicaid Fraud Control Bureau.

Case status (as of Oct. 16, 2026)

Defendant	Court	Status as of Oct. 16, 2026	Source
Dr. Kirk Hopkins, Chicago	N.D. Ill. (Judge Lefkow)	Indicted June 2018 on 5 counts of wire fraud; pleaded guilty to 2 counts; judgment Oct. 7, 2020: 36 months, 1 year supervised release, $3,189,007.88 restitution; medical license suspended; DEA registration revoked 2022	[1], [2], [3]

Sources

1. U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Illinois, "National Healthcare Fraud Takedown Results In Charges Against Over 600 Individuals, Including Several Chicago-Area Medical Professionals," June 28, 2018. https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndil/pr/national-healthcare-fraud-takedown-results-charges-against-over-600-individuals
2. Drug Enforcement Administration, "Kirk A. Hopkins, M.D.; Decision and Order," 87 Fed. Reg. 21154, April 11, 2022 (via GovInfo). https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2022-04-11/pdf/2022-07696.pdf
3. CourtListener, docket for United States v. Hopkins, No. 1:18-cr-00373 (N.D. Ill.). https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/7248332/united-states-v-hopkins/

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