A Florida mental health counselor intern once used a DCF job for extortion
A West Palm Beach woman retained an active registered mental health counselor intern license, albeit on a probationary basis, despite committing extortion while a Florida Department of Children and Families employee.
Last week’s decision about Alexandra Cadet by the state Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling puts Cadet on probation until Feb. 24, 2027. Conditions of probation include a $1,000 fine; $425 in case costs; 16 hours of continuing medical education courses split between ethics and Florida mental health counseling laws; and practicing only under the review of a psychotherapist approved by the board.
This is in response to Cadet’s guilty plea to one count of extortion conspiracy, for which she was sentenced in October 2022 in Fort Lauderdale federal court to time served and three years of supervised release. On July 8, 2024, U.S. District Court Judge Raag Singhal granted the motion by Cadet’s attorney, Jack Fleischman, to end her supervised release after 21 months.
Cadet “has been successful on probation,” the motion said. “She maintains employment and has been leading a law-abiding life. She has completed all the terms and conditions of her probation.”
The U.S. Probation Office didn’t oppose the motion.
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Cadet’s crime actually occurred before she gained a registered mental health counselor intern license in June 2021, although she wouldn’t be charged until July 2022.
Money for speed
Cadet’s guilty plea says she was a licensing specialist in the Palm Beach County office of DCF’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health Program from December 2016 through October 2018.
“As a licensing specialist, Cadet had the responsibility and authority to review and recommend the approval of applications submitted by substance abuse treatment facilities for licenses authorizing providing substance abuse treatment services in the State of Florida,” her guilty plea said.
A friend and professional peer of Cadet’s worked as a consultant helping substance abuse facilities prepare and submit licensing applications. By September 2017, they concocted a plan: The applicant would pay Cadet’s friend, Cadet’s friend would pay Cadet, and Cadet sped up the application review, “thereby enabling the substance abuse treatment facility to commence operations and generate revenue more expeditiously.”
The owner and chief executive of a facility to be based in Broward submitted a license application to DCF on Aug. 31, 2017. When the license hadn’t been approved as of October 2017, the facility owner reached out to Cadet’s friend for help.
“(Cadent’s freind) advised (the facility owner) that, in exchange for $6,000, Cadet could expedite the review of (the facility’s) application and approval of its license,” Cadet’s guilty plea said.
The facility owner handed Cadet’s friend $6,000 cash on Oct. 15, 2017, and Cadet’s friend handed Cadet her cut, $3,000, on Oct. 16, 2017.
“Cadet reviewed and recommended approval of the application and (the facility), thereby expediting the issueance of a license,” the guilty plea said. “DCF issued (the facility) its license on oct. 16, 2017.”
This story was originally published March 4, 2026 at 12:57 PM with the headline "A Florida mental health counselor intern once used a DCF job for extortion."
