DEPT. OF JUSTICE NEWS RELEASE

A Second Judicial District Court judge has sentenced Morgan Ortiz, a former New Mexico State Police Officer, to a maximum sentence of three years in prison for his role in an extensive substance abuse recovery program scheme involving Medicaid Fraud, Identity Theft, Document Falsification and Unauthorized Medical Practice. Ortiz, along with his co-defendant Dr. Keith Levitt, were operating a now-shuttered substance abuse recovery program that billed the Medicaid program hundreds of thousands of dollars in fraudulent claims.  

The three-year sentence is the maximum allowed by his plea agreement, which also included a total of $1.5 million in restitution from the defendants. Ortiz was remanded into custody immediately following today’s sentencing hearing. 

“Today’s sentence holds the defendants accountable for deliberately abusing a system designed to help people in crisis,” said Attorney General Raúl Torrez. “They exploited the trust placed in them, diverted public healthcare dollars for personal gain, and caused real harm to patients and taxpayers. This outcome reinforces that those who manipulate our justice and healthcare systems will be met with meaningful consequences, including restitution for the damage they caused.” 

Ortiz, who was previously convicted of a DWI, pled guilty to two counts of Medicaid Fraud over $20,000, Conspiracy to Commit Theft of Identity and Practicing Medicine Without a License in October 2025. He and his co-defendant, Dr. Keith Levitt, were found jointly and severally liable for the restitution. For his role in the scheme, Levitt was sentenced to probation in December. 

This case was investigated by the NMDOJ’s Medicaid Fraud and Elder Abuse Bureau (MFEAB). The New Mexico MFEAB receives 75 percent of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a grant award totaling $3,623,761.71 for federal fiscal year 2026. The remaining 25 percent, totaling $1,207,920.57 for fiscal year 2026, is funded by the State of New Mexico.