Georgia Woman Convicted of $5.4M DME Health Care Fraud

MACON, Georgia—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.

As the owner and operator of Liberty Medical, Inc., Ivester allegedly submitted 77,095 fraudulent claims for durable medical equipment (DME) that was never ordered or dispensed. 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. 

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 Georgia Attorney General Chris 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 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.”