Attorney General Alan Wilson announces Spartanburg nursing assistant 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 Shelia L. Peeler, 51 years old, of Spartanburg, S.C. 

Peeler faces the following charges:

• One count of Exploitation of a Vulnerable Adult {§ 43-35-85(D)}
• One count of Financial Transaction Card Fraud, value more than $500 in a six-month period {§ 16-14-0060(A)(1-5)}
• One count of Financial Transaction Card Theft {§ 16-14-0020}

Peeler was booked into the Spartanburg County Detention Center on August 7, 2026.

A joint investigation by VAMPF and the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office determined that Peeler knowingly and willfully exploited a vulnerable adult. The alleged exploitation occurred on March 16, 2026.

Investigators report that Peeler was employed as a Certified Nursing Assistant at Physical Rehabilitation and Wellness Center, a skilled nursing facility in Spartanburg where the victim resided. Peeler is accused of taking the victim’s debit card without permission and using it for personal purchases. Investigators determined that Peeler made unauthorized transactions totaling more than $500 within a six‑month period. The victim qualified as a vulnerable adult under South Carolina law at the time of the alleged misconduct.

Physical Rehabilitation and Wellness Center cooperated fully throughout the investigation.

South Carolina Offenses and Penalties:

• Exploitation of a Vulnerable Adult – Felony, punishable by imprisonment for not more than 5 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 5 years, a fine of not less than $3,000, or both.
• Financial Transaction Card Theft - Felony, punishable by imprisonment for not more than 5 years, a fine between $3,000 and $5,000, 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 $2,964,287 for federal fiscal year 2026. The remaining 25 percent, totaling $988,096 for FFY 2026, is funded by South Carolina.