Georgia Woman Sentenced For $5 Million Medicaid Fraud

Authorities say she used the identities of thousands of Medicaid recipients to submit bogus claims.

A 63-year-old Georgia woman will serve time in jail after being convicted of defrauding the state’s Medicaid system of $5.4 million.

The Georgia Attorney General’s office 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.

Prosecutors say Ivester used the ID numbers of nearly 8,000 Medicaid recipients and impersonated a doctor to execute the scheme. Ivester, who owns Liberty Medical, Inc., submitted 77,095 claims for products from Durable Medical Equipment (DME) that were never ordered or delivered.

Ivester entered a guilty plea in the U.S. District Court on Oct. 2, 2025, in the Middle District of Georgia. A judge sentenced her to 10 years on Jan. 8, 2026, with the first seven years to be served in federal prison and the remainder on probation.

The former medical equipment supplier is also ordered to pay $5.4 million in restitution.

Following the conviction, Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr sent a message to potential future offenders.

“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,” Carr said in a statement. “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.”

Ivester’s conviction stems from a nationwide health fraud crackdown that has led to charges against 324 people to date.

In June 2025, prosecutors charged 8 people involved in a complex Medicaid scam in North and South Carolina. The scheme involved extorting $21 million in federal funds by falsely using medical information for children who are quadriplegic, non-verbal, and have other serious disabilities.

Allegedly leading the scam was Donald Calvin Saunders, 62, of Charlotte, who faced charges including six counts of healthcare fraud, one count of unlawfully purchasing beneficiary identification numbers, and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.

“We remain steadfast in protecting the integrity of federal healthcare programs in collaboration with our law enforcement partners,” Kelly Blackmon, Special Agent in Charge at the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG said in a statement.