Attorney General Alan Wilson announces Sumter woman charged with stealing from resident at assisted living facility

(COLUMBIA, S.C.) – South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced that his office’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (SCMFCU) has arrested Annette Bolden Coard, 54 years old, of Sumter, S.C. for one count of Exploitation of a Vulnerable Adult {43-35-0085 (D)} and one count of Financial Identity Fraud {16-13-0510(B)}. Coard was booked into the Sumter County Detention Center on April 5, 2024.

A joint investigation by the SCMFCU and the Sumter Police Department revealed that, between October 3, 2022 and August 14, 2023, Coard made unlawful and unauthorized use of the funds and assets of a vulnerable adult by using the personal identifying information of the victim. Specifically, it is alleged that Coard, while employed at Carriage House/Patriot Living in Sumter took and then used personal checks and the checking account number of the victim to unlawfully appropriate funds for herself. The victim, a vulnerable adult under South Carolina law, resided at Carriage House/Patriot Living, an assisted living facility at the time of the alleged misconduct.

This case will be prosecuted by the Attorney General’s Office. 

Exploitation of a Vulnerable Adult is a felony and, upon conviction, has a penalty of up to five years in prison, a fine of up to $5,000, or both. Financial Identity Fraud is a felony and, upon conviction, has a penalty of up to 10 years in prison, a fine at the discretion of the court, or both.

Pursuant to federal regulations, the SCMFCU has authority over Medicaid provider fraud; abuse and neglect of Medicaid beneficiaries in any setting; and the abuse, neglect, and exploitation of individuals residing in assisted living facilities or nursing homes. 

Attorney General Wilson stressed all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty in a court of law.

The SCMFCU receives 75 percent of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a grant award totaling $2,698,638 for federal fiscal year 2024. The remaining 25 percent, totaling $899,546 for FFY 2024, is funded by South Carolina.