Lee Schools payroll administrator fired after federal fraud charges allege $1.35 million Medicaid scheme

LEE COUNTY, Fla (WINK) — A former Lee County School District payroll administrator has been fired after federal authorities accused her of orchestrating a years-long Medicaid fraud scheme that allegedly generated more than $1.35 million in payments.

Marisol Rodriguez, 49, of Lehigh Acres, was arrested May 21 and charged in Connecticut with health care fraud and making false statements related to health care matters. 

Federal prosecutors allege Rodriguez submitted thousands of fraudulent Medicaid claims between January 2022 and August 2025 for services that were never provided.

According to a criminal complaint filed by the FBI, while living in Connecticut, investigators believe Rodriguez repeatedly billed Medicaid for "services not rendered," including claims for patients she allegedly no longer treated, claims submitted while she worked full-time for another employer, and claims involving patients who were hospitalized, incarcerated or deceased.

The School District of Lee County said Rodriguez was hired as Assistant Director of Payroll in January and remained employed for about four months before district leaders learned of her arrest.

"The School District of Lee County became aware of the situation on May 28, 2026, which was also Ms. Rodriguez's last day of employment with the district," a district spokesperson said in a statement to WINK Investigates.

The statement went on to say, "Upon learning of the charges, the district acted promptly and her employment was terminated."

WINK Investigates went to Rodriguez's Lehigh Acres home Tuesday seeking comment. No one answered the door. We also left a voicemail requesting an interview but have not received a response.

Federal investigators describe billing allegations

The complaint alleges Rodriguez, a licensed Advanced Practice Registered Nurse in Connecticut, billed Connecticut's Medicaid program 15,000 claims and received approximately $1.35 million in payments.

Investigators found she ranked first among 116 Connecticut nurse practitioners in both total Medicaid payments received and number of claims submitted. The complaint states she received roughly $500,000 more than the next-highest provider and submitted approximately 5,000 more claims.

Federal agents interviewed multiple former patients who said appointments were brief, difficult to schedule, or stopped altogether while Medicaid billing allegedly continued.

One patient told investigators Rodriguez was "inconsistent" and "difficult to get a hold of." Another described appointments as lasting "10 minutes at most." A third patient characterized interactions as "very quick," consisting of three-to-five-minute phone calls.

The complaint goes further and alleges Rodriguez continued billing Medicaid for some patients after they had stopped seeing her altogether, on dates when patients were hospitalized, incarcerated or deceased.

District says no evidence of payroll issues

While Rodriguez worked in a supervisory role within the district's payroll department, school officials said she did not have access to the district's banking systems.

"She did not have access to the district's banking or external financial systems," the school district told WINK Investigates, adding they found no indication she misused district systems. 

"As soon as we were notified, an internal IT audit was completed and at this time, the district has no evidence or indication of any unauthorized access, misuse of systems, or irregularities in payroll records," a statement from the school district said.

District officials also said Rodriguez passed the district's standard hiring process.

"Ms. Rodriguez underwent the district's standard pre-employment screening process, which includes background screening, employment verification, and reference checks," a district spokesperson said. "All elements of that process were completed and nothing raised any concerns at the time of hire."

According to the district, no pending charges appeared during the screening because the federal investigation was ongoing and charges had not yet been filed.

The district also stated Rodriguez failed to comply with a board policy requiring employees to self-report qualifying arrests within 48 hours.

Case continues in federal court

The criminal complaint states Rodriguez moved to Lehigh Acres in November 2024 and currently resides in Florida. A judge ruled she is allowed to stay in Florida as the case moves through the court system.

Investigators allege she continued submitting Medicaid claims after relocating from Connecticut to Florida.

Rodriguez was released on a $100,000 bond following her arrest.

Federal prosecutors say Rodriguez faces significant prison time if convicted. The health care fraud charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, while the false statements charge carries a maximum sentence of five years.

A probable cause hearing is scheduled for June 10th in federal court in Connecticut.