Attorney General Alan Wilson announces Moncks Corner 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 Tierra Chawntell Moody, 42, of Moncks Corner, S.C., on one count of Exploitation of a Vulnerable Adult {43-35-0085 (D)} and one count of Financial Transaction Card Fraud, value more than $500 in a six-month period {16-14-0060(a)(1-5)}. Moody was booked into the Sheriff Al Cannon Detention Center on February 21, 2025.

An investigation by VAMPF revealed that, between May 9, 2024 and June 24, 2024, Moody is alleged to have knowingly made unlawful and unauthorized use of the funds or assets of a vulnerable adult. Specifically, it is alleged that Moody, while working as the victim’s caregiver, converted the victim’s funds for her own personal use by using the victim’s debit card to obtain money via ATM cash withdrawals without the authorization of the victim. The victim, a vulnerable adult under South Carolina law, resided in Charleston County, S.C., at the time of the alleged misconduct.

This case was referred to VAMPF by the Charleston Police Department and will be prosecuted by the Attorney General’s Office. 

Exploitation 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 $5,000, or both. Financial Transaction Card Fraud, value more than $500 in a six-month period, is a felony and, upon conviction, has a penalty of up to five years in prison, a fine of between $3,000 and $5,000, or both. 

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.