Vicente Lopez, 64, pleaded guilty in June 2026 before Superior Court Judge L. Grace Spencer to health care claims fraud, Medicaid fraud, and three counts of filing a fraudulent tax return. In addition to the prison term, Lopez was ordered to pay $95,000 in restitution to the state. Judge Spencer imposed the sentence October 21, 2026, in Essex County.
“Medicaid is intended to provide critical health care to vulnerable New Jersey residents who need it, not to serve as a source of personal profit through fraudulent billing,” said Attorney General Davenport. “Individuals and families in New Jersey count on this health care lifeline. This sentence demonstrates that those who exploit this vital program for their own financial gain will be held accountable.”
“For years, the defendant submitted or directed the submission of thousands of false claims for services he was neither qualified nor authorized to provide,” said Acting Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Bernard J. Cooney. “His scheme resulted in millions of dollars in improper Medicaid payments, and today’s sentence holds him responsible for that conduct.”
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court, Lopez was the head of Joyce Lopez & Associates (JLA), which at one time provided psychological counseling services to Medicaid patients. After his sister died in 2021, Lopez took sole control of JLA.
Lopez submitted or caused to be submitted over 34,000 claims to Medicaid for psychological services and...
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