Attorney General Alan Wilson announces Orangeburg woman pleads guilty to exploiting vulnerable adult

(COLUMBIA, S.C.) – South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced that on March 30, 2023, Portia P. Green, 57 years old, of Orangeburg, SC, pleaded guilty in Orangeburg County to one count of Exploitation of a Vulnerable Adult {43-35-0085 (D)}.  Green was sentenced to five years in prison, suspended to five years of probation.  Green was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $23,506.93.

An investigation by the Attorney General’s SC Medicaid Fraud Control Unit revealed that between the dates of June 14, 2018 and July 12, 2018, Green, as a power of attorney for the victim, willfully made, with fraudulent intent, unlawful and improper use of the victim’s funds and assets. During the time of the alleged misconduct the victim, a vulnerable adult under South Carolina law, resided at Bethea Baptist Retirement Community in Darlington County, which referred this matter to the SCMFCU for investigation.

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. 

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.