Attorney General Alan Wilson announces Aiken woman arrested for forgery & exploitation of assisted living facility resident

(COLUMBIA, S.C.) – South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced that his office’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (SCMFCU) and the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office have arrested Katey Hartley Perkins, 51 years old, of Aiken, SC on one count of Exploitation of a Vulnerable Adult {43-35-0085 (D)} and one count of Forgery, value less than $10,000 {16-13-0010(A)}. Perkins was booked into the Aiken County Detention Center on July 13, 2023.

A joint investigation by the SCMFCU and the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office revealed that between June 29, 2022 and November 1, 2022, Perkins made unlawful and unauthorized use of the funds and assets of a vulnerable adult. It is further alleged that on June 30, 2022, Perkins opened an unauthorized TD Bank account in the victim’s name, deposited a life insurance check made out to the victim in the amount of $4,548.57 into that account, and converted the money to her own use. The victim, a vulnerable adult under South Carolina law, resided at an assisted living facility during 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 and/or a fine of up to $5,000. Forgery, value less than $10,000, is a felony and, upon conviction, has a penalty of up to five years in prison and/or a fine at the discretion of the court.

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 that 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 $2,318,568 for federal fiscal year 2023. The remaining 25 percent, totaling $772,852 for FFY 2023, is funded by South Carolina.