Attorney General Alan Wilson announces additional charges against Moncks Corner nurse

(COLUMBIA, S.C.) – South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced that his office’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (SCMFCU) has arrested Crystal Marie Olden, 40 years old, of Moncks Corner, SC, on additional charges related to incidents occurring on January 7 and February 9, 2022, at Kingstree Nursing Facility in Kingstree, SC. 

Previously, Olden was charged by the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) Bureau of Drug Control with two counts of Theft of a Controlled Substance {44-53-0365(A)} on July 12, 2022.

The SCMFCU’s additional charges against Olden on September 27, 2022 are for two counts of Neglect of a Vulnerable Adult {43-35-0085(C)}. Olden was booked into the Williamsburg County Detention Center. 

An investigation by DHEC, with assistance by the SCMFCU, revealed that on or about January  7, 2022, and February 9, 2022, while working as a licensed practical nurse at Kingstree Nursing Facility, Olden unlawfully took and deprived prescription medication, specifically, Hydrocodone, from a vulnerable adult resident at the facility.

All charges related to this case will be prosecuted by the Attorney General’s Office.

Theft of a Controlled Substance is a felony and, upon conviction, has a penalty or not more than five years imprisonment or a fine of not more than $5,000. Neglect of a Vulnerable Adult is a felony and, upon conviction, has a penalty of not more than five years imprisonment.

Pursuant to federal regulations, the SCMFCU has authority to investigate and prosecute 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 $1,927,636 for Federal fiscal year 2022. The remaining 25 percent, totaling $642,544 for FY 2022, is funded by South Carolina.