MOBILE, Ala. — An attorney for a Gulf Shores woman indicted on charges of impersonating a state investigator says she was working openly as a licensed private investigator when she interviewed a witness in a Mobile County civil case.
Tobi Lynn Libbra was indicted by a Mobile County grand jury on charges of impersonating a peace officer and impersonating a public servant. The indictment alleges Libbra claimed on Oct. 6, 2025, to be an investigator for the State of Alabama in order to contact and interview someone.
The Defense Account
Attorney John Beck disputes that account. In a statement, Beck said Libbra is a private investigator licensed by the state and was hired to interview witnesses for South Alabama Medical & Rehab in a civil case brought by the Mobile County District Attorney’s Office.
According to Beck, Libbra recorded the entire interview, identified herself by name, said she and her partner were private investigators, identified their client, and told the witness they were “an independent third party trying to gather the facts.”
He said Libbra wore her state investigator’s license on a lanyard, as required by law, and never identified herself as police, an officer, deputy or detective during the roughly 13-minute interview.
A Recording at the Center of the Case
Beck said the recording was provided to the District Attorney’s Office months before Libbra was charged — a point he frames as central to the defense. He also contends the witness told Libbra she had not used language attributed to her in a sworn civil complaint and did not write an affidavit bearing her signature.
“Mrs. Libbra has conducted herself throughout with care and professionalism, and with a documentary record to prove it,” Beck said. “She does not deserve this. We will defend her vigorously.”
What Happens Next
Libbra was indicted Aug. 21, arrested Monday morning and released from Mobile Metro Jail about an hour later on $8,000 bond.
The case now moves toward the circuit court docket, where prosecutors will need to establish that Libbra held herself out as a state investigator rather than a private one. Defense attorneys in impersonation cases typically focus on exactly that distinction — what was said, to whom, and whether any statement created a false impression of police authority.
The charges remain allegations. A grand-jury indictment is not a conviction, and Libbra is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
Neither the District Attorney’s Office nor South Alabama Medical & Rehab has publicly commented on the defense’s account. Additional filings in the case are expected in the coming weeks.