Attorney General Alan Wilson announces Dillon woman charged with defrauding Medicaid of more than $10,000

(COLUMBIA, S.C.) – South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced that his office’s Vulnerable Adults and Medicaid Provider Fraud unit (VAMPF) has arrested Stephanie Lauren Lovette, 45 years old, of Dillon, SC, on one count of Obtaining Signature or Property Under False Pretenses, value $10,000 or more {16-13-0240}  and one count of Presenting False Claims for Insurance Payment, value $10,000 or more {38-55-0170}. Lovette was booked into the Dillon County Center on June 11, 2025.

An investigation by VAMPF and the Dillon County Sheriff’s Office found that, between January 4, 2021, and November 30, 2024, Lovette allegedly submitted false claims for payments to the South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the state’s Medicaid program. Specifically, Lovette is accused of knowingly and willfully submitting fraudulent mileage reimbursement claims for non-emergency medical transportation for a Medicaid beneficiary, despite not providing the services. These false claims reportedly resulted in a loss exceeding $10,000 to the South Carolina Medicaid program.

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

Presenting False Claims for Insurance Payment, value $10,000 or more, is a felony and, upon conviction, has a penalty of up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $5,000, or both. Obtaining Signature or Property Under False Pretenses, value $10,000 or more, is a felony and, upon conviction, has a penalty of up to 10 years in prison and a fine of not more than $500. 

Pursuant to federal regulations, VAMPF 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 South Carolina Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, dba VAMPF, receives 75 percent of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a grant award totaling $2,889,252 for federal fiscal year 2025. The remaining 25 percent, totaling $963,084 for FFY 2025, is funded by South Carolina.