The news has shaken the state of Alabama with the same coldness as a court ruling. A woman who spent years working quietly in government offices has turned out to be harming her community. She is Natalie Colette Lewis, 60-years-old, and worked as a Medicaid employee in Alabama.
What appeared to be dedication to public service has turned out to be abuse of her position as a government employee… and theft of public funds. Her sentence, handed down on October 6, 2025, condemns her to 10 years in prison for theft and fraud of public funds. These actions, committed in silence, directly impact taxpayers and the most vulnerable.
Stealing from Medicaid funds
Natalie Lewis worked in the Non-Emergency Transportation Division of the Medicaid Agency. Lewis was responsible for processing reimbursement claims to cover transportation costs for beneficiaries who needed transportation to attend their medical appointments. Ms. Lewis took advantage of this position of trust to carry out a theft scheme that lasted for almost five years.
Between December 2019 and November 2024, Natalie Lewis submitted more than 1,600 fraudulent claims. In other words, they did not exist; there were no patients who needed transportation, and she pocketed the money. To do this, she created completely non-existent transportation invoices, using the name of her own son, who was also a Medicaid beneficiary, to justify payments for appointments that never took place. The crime was quite lucrative: she managed to steal $103,413.26.
This money was loaded onto an EBT or debit card that Natalie Lewis freely used for her personal expenses. If Robin Hood took from the rich to give to the poor, there is something particularly despicable about stealing public funds and organizations specifically dedicated to protecting the most vulnerable in society. But greed breaks the bag, and Natalie Lewis became increasingly obvious. Thankfully, the Medicaid agency conducts technical audits, and the agency’s own surveillance noticed the glaring discrepancies.
To make matters worse, Natalie Colette Lewis had lied on her job application in 2006. She had concealed three previous felony convictions. Although the Medicaid agency should have conducted a more thorough background check, this type of behavior shows that Ms. Lewis had always been untrustworthy.
Alabama justice
She had been caught red-handed, and Louise pleaded guilty in August 2025 to aggravated theft of property. This spared her a lengthy trial, but the judge sentenced her to 10 years in prison. Of this sentence, she must serve three years immediately in Montgomery County Jail.
The financial consequences were also severe: she was ordered to pay full restitution for the more than $100,000 stolen, and Lewis lost all of her state-paid retirement benefits. She will only be able to use personal contributions with interest to begin paying off her debt.
Attorney General Steve Marshall summed up the seriousness of the act: “Public employees hold a position of trust, and when that trust is violated, particularly when taxpayer dollars are stolen, there must be consequences.”
Although we know that she stole more than $100,000, the real cost of this type of fraud is incalculable. It is not just a figure in an accounting ledger, but funds that should have been used to transport sick and low-income people so that they could receive vital medical care. Thanks to internal monitoring by the Medicaid agency, this theft scheme was uncovered. Natalie Colette Lewis is now a symbol: the symbol of the price that every public employee must pay if they break their oath of trust to their nation. The next time you think about all the taxes you have to pay, remember that there are individuals like this person embezzling funds. Maybe internal audits of public spending are not so bad after all.