Carr: Warner Robins Woman Convicted of Defrauding Georgia Medicaid of $5.4 Million

MACON, GA – Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr today announced that Elizabeth Sue Ivester, 63, of Warner Robins, has been convicted on one count of Health Care Fraud and one count of Aggravated Identity Theft for engaging in a scheme to defraud the Georgia Medicaid program of more than $5.4 million. On Oct. 2, 2025, Ivester entered a guilty plea in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia (Macon Division). On Jan. 8, 2026, she was sentenced to 10 years, with the first seven years to be served in federal prison and the remainder on strict probation. Ivester was also ordered to pay full restitution totaling $5,437,283.26. 

This case was brought by Carr’s Medicaid Fraud and Patient Protection Division in partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG).

“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,” said Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr. “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.”

“HHS-OIG is committed to holding accountable those who exploit Medicaid patients for unlawful financial gain,” said Kelly Blackmon, Special Agent in Charge at the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “We remain steadfast in protecting the integrity of federal health care programs in collaboration with our law enforcement partners.”

As the owner and operator of Liberty Medical, Inc., Ivester submitted 77,095 fraudulent claims for Durable Medical Equipment (DME) that was never ordered or dispended. 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. 

This case is the result of a strategically coordinated, nationwide law enforcement action that resulted in criminal charges against 324 defendants who are alleged to have defrauded programs entrusted for the care of the elderly and disabled. It was prosecuted by Tarrea D. Williams of the Georgia Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud and Patient Protection Division, in her capacity as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney (SAUSA) for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia, and investigated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG).

About the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud and Patient Protection Division

Since Attorney General Chris Carr first took office, his Medicaid Fraud and Patient Protection Division has secured more than 90 convictions for Medicaid fraud and the abuse, neglect and exploitation of older adults, resulting in over $19 million in restitution orders in criminal matters. Over this same period, Carr’s Medicaid Fraud and Patient Protection Division has obtained civil settlements and judgements totaling more than $108 million as a result of its efforts to safeguard the Georgia Medicaid program. 

The Medicaid Fraud and Patient Protection Division receives 75 percent of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a grant award totaling $5,381,304 for Federal FY 2026. The remaining 25 percent, totaling $1,793,768, is funded by the State of Georgia.