Attorney General Alan Wilson announces in-home caregiver charged with stealing from vulnerable adult

(COLUMBIA, S.C.) – South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced that his office’s Vulnerable Adults and Medicaid Provider Fraud unit (VAMPF) has arrested Kennedy Jordan Hopkins, 23 years old, of Greenville, S.C.

Hopkins faces the following charges:

•         Financial Exploitation of a Vulnerable Adult {§ 43-35-85(D)

•         Financial Transaction Card Fraud, value more than $500 in a six-month period {§ 16-14-0060(A)(1-5)}

•         Financial Transaction Card Fraud, value $500 or less in a six-month period {§ 16-14-0060(A)(1-5)}

•          Federally Chartered or Insured Financial Institution Crime {§ 34-3-10(A)}

Hopkins was booked into the Spartanburg County Detention Center on November 9, 2026.

A joint investigation by VAMPF and the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office alleges that between July 7, 2025, and November 3, 2025, Hopkins knowingly and willfully exploited a vulnerable adult by making unauthorized, improper, or unlawful use of the victim’s funds and assets for her own benefit. Investigators allege that, while serving as an in-home caregiver for a Medicaid beneficiary, Hopkins used two of the victim’s debit cards without the victim’s knowledge or consent to obtain money, goods, and services for her personal benefit. The investigation further alleges that transactions on one card resulted in losses of less than $500, while transactions on the second card exceeded $500.  Additionally, investigators allege that, as part of the scheme, Hopkins obtained funds from Founders Federal Credit Union through false or fraudulent pretenses.

At the time of the alleged misconduct, the victim resided in Spartanburg County and qualified as a vulnerable adult under South Carolina law.

South Carolina Offenses and Penalties:

•        Financial Exploitation of a Vulnerable Adult – Felony, punishable by imprisonment for not more than five years, a fine of not more than $5,000, or both.

•        Financial Transaction Card Fraud, value more than $500 in a Six-Month Period – Felony, punishable by imprisonment for not more than five years, a fine of not less than $3,000, or both.

•        Financial Transaction Card Fraud, value $500 or less in a Six-Month Period – Misdemeanor, punishable by imprisonment for not more than one year, a fine of not more than $1,000, or both.

•        Federally Chartered or Insured Financial Institution Crime – Felony, punishable by imprisonment for not more than 10 years, a fine of not more than $10,000, or both.

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

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 that 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 $3,221,544.42 for Federal fiscal year (FY) 2027. The remaining 25 percent, totaling $1,073,848.14for FY 2027, is funded by South Carolina..