Story by Ethan
On September 23, 2025, the arrest of Vicente Lopez, age 63, was announced by Attorney General Matthew J. Patkins. Vicente Lopez was charged with second-degree Health Care Claims Fraud, second-degree Theft by Deception, third-degree Medicare Fraud, and three counts of Failing to Pay Taxes and Filing a Fraudulent Return. The arrest and charges against Vicente Lopez were a result of an investigation handled by OIFP – Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) DAsG Laura L. Bryant and Simret Michael, Assistant Bureau Chief Michael Klein and Bureau Chief Heather Hadley, Sergeant Michael Rosati, Lieutenant Joseph Jaruszewski, Deputy Chief Rich King, and the New Jersey Division of Taxation and Office of Criminal Investigations.
According to the Attorney General’s Office, Vicente Lopez alongside his sister, Joyce Lopez, were partners for Joyce Lopez & Associates (JLA) that used to provide Medicaid beneficiaries with psychological counseling. Vicente Lopez would inherit JLA and become the sole head of the company after Joyce Lopez passed away in 2021. Despite neither the company nor himself being approved by the proper Medicaid advisors, allegedly Vicente Lopez directed his employees to bill Medicaid for 34,000 different claims of psychological services. The bills filed to Medicaid used the information of a licensed psychiatrist under the alias of “TF” without the individual’s knowledge. The psychiatrist identified to be “TF” had not administered services or care to any individual associated with JLA. Allegedly Vicente Lopez also continued to bill Medicaid for patient cancellations, no-shows, and for psychological services when JLA only provided case management services at that time. It was also uncovered that allegedly Vicente Lopez failed to pay his taxes for 2021, 2022, and 2023, and when audited he failed to disclose his full income to the State.
The Attorney General’s Office stated that the charges against Vicente Lopez are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
