Overview
- Alison Winter was arrested in November 2024 and arraigned on charges that include grand larceny, scheme to defraud, and 14 counts of unauthorized practice for allegedly posing as a licensed social worker.
- Prosecutors allege Winter received about $60,000 in insurance reimbursements from 2018 to 2024, nearly $50,000 of which was billed to Cigna, and that she also billed Medicare and UnitedHealthcare.
- Winter served as Rex Heuermann’s jailhouse therapist for nearly three years and was reportedly present when he allegedly confessed to killing eight women; Heuermann was sentenced to life without parole on June 17.
- A New York State Education Department license search did not return a Master Social Worker registration for Winter, her Sayville office sign has been removed, and her practice appears listed as permanently closed online.
- New York requires supervised clinical experience and a licensing exam before independent practice, and prosecutors say Winter’s case could prompt closer checks by regulators and insurers as she faces a July 21 court date.