Attorney General Alan Wilson announces Greenville woman charged with Medicaid fraud

(COLUMBIA, S.C.) – South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced that his office’s Vulnerable Adults and Medicaid Provider Fraud unit (VAMPF) has arrested Lauren Makenzie Welborn, 29 years old, of Greenville, SC, on one count of Obtaining Property or Signature Under False Pretenses, value $10,000 or more {16-13-0240(1)}, and one count of Medical Assistance Provider Fraud {43-07-0060}. Welborn was booked into the Greenville County Detention Center on June 13, 2025.

A VAMPF investigation found that, between August 7, 2023, and September 12, 2024, Welborn allegedly submitted false claims for payment to the South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the state’s Medicaid program. While employed as an Early Interventionist at PlayWorks, LLC, Welborn is accused of submitting fraudulent data sheets and electronic clinician notes, falsely claiming she provided services to fifteen Medicaid beneficiaries under the age of four. Those claims resulted in $11,442.01 in losses to the Medicaid program.

VAMPF would like to acknowledge PlayWorks, LLC, for its role in discovering the misconduct, reporting it to VAMPF, and cooperating fully with the investigation. Attorney General Alan Wilson states, "Providers that operate with integrity play a valuable role in ensuring the efficient operation of the Medicaid program; this is an example of a business being a prudent steward of taxpayer dollars and working with my office to hold bad actors accountable.”

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

Obtaining Property or Signature Under False Pretenses, value $10,000 or more, 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. Medical Assistance Provider Fraud is a class A misdemeanor and, upon conviction, has a penalty of up to three years in prison and a fine of up to $1,000.  

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.