Attorney General Alan Wilson announces nurse pleads guilty to neglect and drug charges

(COLUMBIA, S.C.) – South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced that Kelly Morgan, 37 years old, of Mauldin, SC, pleaded guilty in Greenville County General Sessions Court on July 21, 2022. Morgan pleaded guilty to two counts of Unlawful Possession of Controlled Substance in violation of SC Code §44-53-390(a)(3), Neglect of a Vulnerable Adult in violation of SC Code §43-35-85(C), Unauthorized Practice of Nursing in violation of SC Code §40-33-200, and Furnishing False or Fraudulent Material Information in violation of SC Code §44-53-390(a)(4). Morgan was sentenced to three years in prison suspended to two years’ probation.

Morgan’s plea results from her actions while working as a Licensed Practical Nurse at an assisted living facility in Fountain Inn, SC. During this time, Morgan neglected a resident of the facility as well as unlawfully obtained and possessed controlled substances, including oxycodone. Morgan falsified records for Controlled Substances and practiced nursing while her license was suspended.

This case was investigated by DHEC’s Bureau of Drug Control, the Fountain Inn Police Department, and the South Carolina Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (SCMFCU). The case was also prosecuted by the SCMFCU.

The South Carolina MFCU receives 75 percent of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a grant award totaling $1,927,636 for Federal fiscal year 2022. The remaining 25 percent, totaling $642,544 for FY 2022, is funded by South Carolina.