Warner Robins woman convicted of $5.4 million Medicaid fraud scheme

WARNER ROBINS — Elizabeth Sue Ivester, 63, of Warner Robins was convicted on one count of Health Care Fraud and one count of Aggravated Identity Theft in a scheme to defraud Georgia Medicaid up to $5.4 million according to a media release from Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr. 

Ivester pled guilty on Oct.2, 2025, and was sentenced on Jan. 8, 2026, to ten years with the first seven years to be spent in federal prison. Ivester will also have to pay full restitution. 

The release said this case was handled by Carr’s Medicaid Fraud and Patient Division in partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia as well as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General. 

Ivester owned and operated Liberty Medical Inc. The release said she submitted 77,095 fraudulent claims for Durable Medical Equipment (DME) which were never ordered. 

“Those claims totaling over $5 million, unlawfully used the ID numbers of 7,684 Medicaid recipients and falsely represented the identity of one prescribing physician,” the release said. “This case is a result of a strategically coordinated, nationwide law enforcement action that resulted in the criminal charges against 324 defendants who are alleged to have defrauded programs entrusted for the care of the elderly and disabled.” 

Carr provided comments on the conviction: 

“Let this send a message to anyone who attempts to abuse and exploit our Medicaid program — you will be identified, prosecuted, and forced to pay back every dollar you stole,” he said. “This was a massive scheme to defraud not only Georgia taxpayers but real patients in need of care. It’s unacceptable, it’s illegal and it won’t be tolerated in our state.”