Lehigh Acres nurse accused of defrauding Medicaid program in Connecticut

, Conn. —

A Lehigh Acres nurse was arrested on May 22 in Connecticut. She's accused of defrauding Connecticut's Medicaid program using false claims, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office in the District of Connecticut.

According to the release, Marisol Rodriguez, 49, an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN), defrauded the Connecticut Medicaid Program by submitting fraudulent claims for medication management services that were not provided to Medicaid patients.

As an APRN, Rodriguez was licensed to prescribe controlled substances to Medicaid recipients, and billed Medicaid for medication management services to these patients. The complaint alleges Rodriguez billed Medicaid:

• For services not rendered.
• For services purportedly rendered to patients, sometimes for months or years after the patients stopped seeing her.
• While working full-time at a different employer.
• While collecting unemployment benefits after being terminated by that employer.
• For services purportedly rendered to patients that were hospitalized, incarcerated, or dead.

In total, the release says, it's alleged that more than 15,000 Medicaid claims totaling more than $1.35 million were paid out to Rodriguez between Jan. 2022 and Aug. 2025.

Among her peers of 116 other APRNs, Rodriguez made approximately 5,000 more claims and was paid approximately $500,000 more than the second highest billing APRN, according to an analysis conducted by the Connecticut Department of Social Services.

The complaint adds that for actual patients Rodriguez frequently did not review their medical history before prescribing controlled substances and did not consider how those prescriptions would react when combined with existing medications or prescriptions.

Overall, Rodriguez faces charges of health care fraud and making false statements relating to health care matters. After appearing before a judge she was released on a $100,000 bond.

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