Attorney General Alan Wilson announces Upstate woman charged with unlicensed nursing and stealing patient’s medication

(COLUMBIA, S.C.) – South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced that his office’s Vulnerable Adults and Medicaid Provider Fraud unit (VAMPF) has arrested Elizabeth Schlesinger Mullins, 40 years old, of Piedmont, S.C. 

Mullins faces the following charges:

• Two (2) counts of Unlicensed Practice as Registered Nurse or Practical Nurse (§40-33-0030)
• One (1) count of Theft of a Controlled Substance, 1^st offense (§ 44-53-0365(A))

Mullins was booked into the Greenville County Detention Center on December 23, 2025.

A joint investigation by the Vulnerable Adults and Medicaid Provider Fraud unit (VAMPF) and the South Carolina Department of Health's Bureau of Drug Control revealed allegations that Elizabeth Mullins knowingly practiced nursing and used the title "Director of Nursing"—implying she was a licensed nurse—despite lacking an active license as required by the South Carolina State Board of Nursing.

It is further alleged that Mullins was aware her nursing license had been suspended by order of the South Carolina State Board of Nursing, yet she continued to represent herself as, and perform the duties of, the Director of Nursing while employed at Cherrydale Post Acute in Greenville, specifically on June 20, 2025, and June 23, 2025.

Investigators also allege that, during her employment at Cherrydale Post Acute, Mullins knowingly and intentionally stole a quantity of oxycodone—a Schedule II controlled substance—from another person, with the intent to permanently deprive that person of the medication.

South Carolina Felony Offenses and Penalties:

• Unlicensed Practice as Registered Nurse or Practical Nurse – Class C Misdemeanor, punishable by imprisonment for not more than 1 year or a fine of not more than $50,000.
• Theft of a Controlled Substance, 1^st offense – Felony, punishable by imprisonment for not more than 5 years and/or a fine of not more than $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.