REPORT: Serial Killer’s Therapist Allegedly Practiced For Years Without A License, Faces Felony Charges
A serial killer’s therapist reportedly practiced clinical social work in New York for years without a license and faces felony charges, prosecutors said.
Alison Winter, serial killer Rex Heuermann’s therapist, received $60,000 in reimbursement payments for insurance claims from 2018 to 2024 without having a clinical social work license, Newsday reported, citing prosecutors. Over $50,000 was allegedly billed via Cigna. The insurance company reportedly requires masters-level clinicians who work independently to have a state license in order to be part of their network. Winter also obtained reimbursement payments via UnitedHealthcare and Medicare, according to court documents.
Winter obtained a Master’s Degree in Social Work from Adelphi University in 1999, the school told Newsday. However, a verification search of the New York State Education Department’s Office of the Professions does not generate a license for Winter under the Master Social Worker category.
Prosecutors charged Winter with grand larceny in the second degree, grand larceny in the third degree, scheme to defraud, and 14 counts of unauthorized practice of a profession, a Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office (SCDAO) spokeswoman told the Daily Caller. She was already facing the felony charges when she heard Heuermann’s confession in which he allegedly admitted to killing eight women, Newsday reported.
Melissa McCardle, a licensed clinical social worker and dean of the school of education and human services at Molloy University in Rockville Centre, reacted to Winter’s charges, according to Newsday.
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“Nobody in New York State can practice psychotherapy as a social worker without a license,” McCardle said. Psychotherapists who obtain a Master’s Degree in Social Work must take a licensure exam and go through three years’ employment under the supervision of a licensed professional before applying for certification to practice by themselves, she added. (RELATED: Cheek Swab Taken From Wife Of Alleged Gilgo Beach Serial Killer Matches DNA On Victim’s Remains: REPORT)
Winter appears to have operated a psychotherapy practice in Sayville, New York, according to Healthline. An exterior sign with the name of the practice has since been taken down and the practice is labeled by Google as “permanently closed,” according to Newsday.
Winter has garnered national attention for appearing in a Peacock documentary series about Heuermann’s case, the outlet reported. Heuermann was sentenced to life without parole for the murders of eight women in Gilgo Beach between 1993 and 2010 on June 17.
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Her next court date is set for July 21, the SCDAO told the Caller.
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