This morning South Carolina attorney general Alan Wilson announced his office’s the newly renamed Vulnerable Adult and Medicaid Fraud Unit.
Wilson told reporters his office has long prosecuted cases against those who abuse vulnerable adults (those who can’t take care of themselves due to infirmity or age) but that officials decided to rename the unit to increase public awareness of the existence of a “task force style” team equipped to initiate its own investigations and prosecutions or assist law enforcement agencies throughout the state who might benefit from the unit’s specialized investigators and attorneys.
The unit, formerly known as the “Medicaid Fraud Control Unit”, has prosecuted both white collar and violent crimes against vulnerable adults.
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In 2023 the unit indicted Jacob McCullough for allegedly defrauding a vulnerable adult whose funds he had been entrusted with of $10,000.
Later that year the unit collaborated with the Sumpter County Sheriff’s office to secure the the conviction of licensed practical nurse Towodi T. Shequoyah, for “willfully, maliciously, and indecently exposing his genitals while in the bedroom of a resident at the (nursing) facility in an attempt to sexually assault the resident.”
“Our conviction rate, once a case is opened, is 100%” Wilson said.
Orangeburg Department of Public Safety chief Charles Austin spoke at the press conference, crediting the agency for helping his office pursue cases they otherwise couldn’t have.
“We undertook a couple of cases that involved exploitation of vulnerable adults and people with disabilities” and in doing so “realized that it is a significant problem.” Austin said, adding that “oftentimes local agencies exhaust their resources, and cases may go uninvestigated or put on the back burner while we try to figure out what the next step is.”
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RELATED | AIKEN S.C. MAYOR FACING SLED INVESTIGATION – Agency probing “exploitation of a vulnerable adult” allegations
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Austin said his agency’s collaboration with state officials “assures us that we have a partner that we can reach out to and that we can continue these cases.” so that law enforcement might fully “investigate them and prosecute the persons who are responsible.”
Wilson emphasized that the newly renamed unit exists not only to collaborate with other law enforcement, but to directly assist citizens.
“Abusers rely on the public not knowing what is going on, or not knowing who to tell if they suspect something is going on.” Wilson said, adding that his office “aim(s) for our vulnerable adults to be treated with the dignity and the safety that they deserve. For this to happen. We need an informed public to partner with us to achieve this goal.”
“If you see something or hear something that doesn’t seem right, please call our hotline. That number is 1-(888)-662-4328. And if you’d like a little mnemonic, it’s 1-(888)-No-Cheat.”
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
(Via: Travis Bell)
Dylan Nolan is the director of special projects at FITSNews. He graduated from the Darla Moore school of business in 2021 with an accounting degree. Got a tip or story idea for Dylan? Email him here. You can also engage him socially @DNolan2000.
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1 comment
Will the new vulnerable adult and Medicaid fraud unit investigate the Irmo area care home off of Sidney Rd. They keep that place oppressively hot all year long. They have at least one vulnerable adult suffering with advanced MS. MS patients are harmed particularly badly by excess heat.