Concord, New Hampshire: A Florida-based psychotherapist with a prior federal fraud conviction has been sentenced to prison on January 28 for orchestrating a Medicaid fraud scheme that drained nearly $174,000 from New Hampshire’s public health insurance program.
Erik X. Alonso, 55, of Miami, was sentenced to one year and one day in federal prison after pleading guilty to health care fraud. The court also ordered him to pay $173,998.83 in restitution, reflecting the full amount he caused New Hampshire Medicaid to improperly pay through fraudulent billing.
The sentencing marks the latest chapter in a case involving a repeat offender who continued billing federally funded health care programs despite being explicitly barred from doing so. for orchestrating a Medicaid fraud scheme that drained nearly $174,000 from New Hampshire’s public health insurance program.
Alonso had previously been convicted in 2015 in the Southern District of Florida for conspiracy to commit health care fraud and related offenses. As a result of that conviction, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General placed him on its exclusion list, prohibiting him from receiving payment from any federal health care program, including Medicaid.
Despite this prohibition, Alonso knowingly re-entered the health care system and resumed providing services that were billed to Medicaid.
According to court records, the fraud scheme began in March 2022 when Alonso provided counseling services through a New Hampshire-based telehealth mental health provider. He caused claims to be submitted to New Hampshire Medicaid even though he was legally excluded from participation.
Investigators found that many of the claims were false and fraudulent, including bills for services that were not provided as described. In some instances, Alonso used patient time for personal errands and non-therapeutic activities, while still billing Medicaid as if legitimate counseling had occurred.
Through this conduct, Alonso caused New Hampshire Medicaid to pay approximately $173,998 in improper claims.
Alonso pleaded guilty on October 23, 2025, admitting to health care fraud. At sentencing on January 28, 2026, the court imposed a custodial sentence of one year and one day, followed by full restitution.
Federal law allows for a maximum sentence of up to 10 years in prison for health care fraud offenses. Prosecutors emphasized Alonso’s repeat-offender status and prior exclusion as aggravating factors in the case.
In a parallel civil action, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Hampshire resolved allegations against the telehealth company involved in the case.
LifeWorks Counseling Associates, PLLC, and its owner, Dr. David Ferruolo, agreed to pay $300,000 to settle allegations under the False Claims Act. The government alleged the company improperly billed Medicaid for services performed by Alonso while he was excluded from federal health care programs.
The civil settlement addressed the financial harm caused by improper billing practices and was coordinated alongside the criminal prosecution.
The sentencing announcement was made by Erin Creegan, U.S. Attorney for the District of New Hampshire, alongside Roberto Coviello, Special Agent in Charge of HHS-OIG, and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Boston Field Office.
The case was investigated jointly by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General.
Prosecution was led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Vicinanzo, with trial attorneys Thomas D. Campbell, John W. Howard, and Danielle H. Sakowski of the Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Fraud Section.
Reference:
U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorney for the District of New Hampshire. “Repeat Health Care Fraud Offender Sentenced for Defrauding New Hampshire Medicaid.” Press release, January 28, 2026.
