Nurse Charged in $1.35M Connecticut Medicaid Fraud for Visits That Never Happened

A nurse practitioner who once worked in Connecticut has been arrested on federal health care fraud charges, accused of billing the state’s Medicaid program more than $1.35 million for services prosecutors say were never provided.

According to an announcement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut, Marisol Rodriguez, also known as Marisol Colon, 49, of Lehigh Acres, Florida, was arrested on a federal criminal complaint charging her with health care fraud offenses. She appeared before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in Hartford and was released on a $100,000 bond.

The Allegations

Rodriguez is an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) who formerly lived in Newington, Connecticut. The complaint alleges she defrauded the Connecticut Medical Assistance Program — the state’s Medicaid program, known locally as HUSKY — by submitting fraudulent claims for medication management services that, according to prosecutors, were not actually provided to patients.

The conduct described in the complaint is striking. Prosecutors allege Rodriguez repeatedly billed Medicaid for services that were never rendered, including for patients she had stopped seeing months or even years earlier; while she was working full-time for a different employer; while she collected unemployment benefits after being terminated by that employer; and even for patients who were hospitalized, incarcerated, or deceased at the time.

Between approximately January 2022 and August 2025, the complaint alleges, more than 15,000 Medicaid claims totaling over $1.35 million were paid to Rodriguez. A state Department of Social Services analysis reportedly ranked her billing first among a peer group of 116 APRNs — with roughly 5,000 more claims and about $500,000 more in payments than the second-highest biller in that group.

A Patient-Safety Dimension

Beyond the billing allegations, the complaint raises concerns about patient care. For patients Rodriguez did treat, prosecutors allege she frequently failed to adequately review a patient’s medical history before prescribing controlled substances, and did not properly consider whether those prescriptions were necessary or safe in combination with a patient’s other medications.

That detail matters. Prescribing powerful controlled substances without checking a patient’s full medication picture is exactly the kind of lapse that can put patients at risk of dangerous drug interactions and other serious harm.

The Charges

The complaint charges Rodriguez with health care fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, and making false statements relating to health care matters, which carries a maximum of five years.

It’s important to be clear about what this is. As the U.S. Attorney stressed, a complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Rodriguez is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, the FBI, and the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit of the Connecticut Chief State’s Attorney’s Office, with assistance from the Connecticut Department of Social Services.

Why This Matters for Patients

Cases like this are a reminder that patients have a right to expect competent, honest care — a provider who actually delivers the services billed, reviews your history before prescribing, and puts your safety ahead of the bottom line. When a provider’s alleged carelessness or misconduct causes real harm, injured patients may have legal options separate from any criminal case.

IF YOU NEED A LAWYER CONTACT US