An investigation by special agents with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s Medicaid Fraud Control Division has resulted in the indictment and arrest of a former nurse charged with impersonating a licensed professional and fraudulently obtaining a controlled substance.
On November 15, 2024, special agents, acting on a tip from the Tennessee Department of Health, began investigating Elizabeth Rainwater (DOB 1/21/1971). Through the course of the investigation, agents learned in August 2024, Rainwater surrendered her Registered Nurse license as part of a plea deal but continued working as a nurse at a nursing home in Franklin until September 10th. During that time frame of several weeks, agents learned Rainwater diverted controlled substances, including opioids, from residents at the facility.
On June 4th, a Williamson County Grand Jury indicted Rainwater, charging her with one count of Impersonating a Licensed Professional and 19 counts of Fraudulent Obtaining a Controlled Substance. On September 5th, TBI Special Agents, with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service Task Force, Williamson County Sheriff’s Office, and Smyrna Police Department arrested Rainwater and booked her into the Williamson County Jail on a $40,000 bond.
The charges and allegations referenced in this release are merely accusations of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt and convicted through due process of law.
NOTE: The TBI’s Medicaid Fraud Control Division receives 75 percent of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a grant award totaling $8,983,614.75 for federal Fiscal Year 2023-2024. The remaining 25 percent, totaling $2,994,538.25 for Fiscal Year 2023-2024, is funded by the State of Tennessee.
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