Attorney General Alan Wilson announces Horry Co. woman charged with neglecting vulnerable adult

(COLUMBIA, S.C.) – South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced that his office’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (SCMFCU) has arrested Lauren Grace Sirignano, 58 years old, of Aynor, SC on one count of Neglect of a Vulnerable Adult. Sirignano was booked into the Horry County Detention Center on August 18, 2023.

An investigation by the SCMFCU and the Horry County Police Department revealed that on April 13, 2023, Sirignano, while working as a caregiver at a community training home in Little River, neglected a vulnerable adult resident. Investigators alleged that Sirignano failed to provide supervision to maintain the health and safety of the victim by lying on a couch and appearing to sleep during most of her nighttime working shift. It is further alleged that Sirignano failed to check on the victim during her shift and that sometime during the night, the victim fell out of their bed and suffered significant injuries. The victim, a vulnerable adult under South Carolina law, resided at a community training home operated by Horry County Disabilities and Special Needs (HCDSN) during the time of the alleged misconduct.

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

Neglect of a Vulnerable Adult is a felony and, upon conviction, has a penalty of up to five years in prison, a fine of up to five thousand dollars, or both.

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.