Attorney General Alan Wilson announces arrest of Whitmire woman charged with stealing from nursing home resident

(COLUMBIA, S.C.) – South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced that his office’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (SCMFCU) has arrested Sylvia Whitlock, 66 years old, of Whitmire, SC on three counts of Breach of Trust with Fraudulent Intent {16-13-230 (A)}. Whitlock was booked into the Union County Detention Center on February 16, 2023.

An SCMFCU investigation revealed that between September 1, 2022, through November 30, 2022, Whitlock converted the victim’s funds to her own use on three separate occasions. The victim, a vulnerable adult under South Carolina law, was a resident of Richard M. Campbell Veterans Nursing Home in Anderson, S.C. It is alleged that Whitlock was entrusted with the funds of the victim and that, with fraudulent intent, she permanently deprived the victim of these funds. Specifically, Whitlock allegedly cashed, and used for her personal benefit, checks mailed to Whitlock’s residence in Union County that were made payable to the victim.

This case was referred to the SCMFCU for investigation by the South Carolina Department of Disabilities and Special Needs. It will be prosecuted by the Attorney General’s Office. 

Breach of Trust with Fraudulent Intent, Value $2,000 or less is a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, has a penalty of a fine of up to $1,000 or up to 30 days in prison.  

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