On April 10, 2025, Attorney General Alan Wilson of South Carolina disclosed that Tracy Timothy Wright, aged 53, from Orangeburg, S.C., entered a guilty plea in Orangeburg County. Wright faced charges of Neglect of a Vulnerable Adult and Criminal Conspiracy. Judge Charles McCutchen sentenced Wright to a total of five years in prison, reduced to three years in the South Carolina Department of Corrections, followed by two years of probation for each charge, with the sentences running concurrently.
The case was investigated by the Vulnerable Adult and Medicaid Provider Fraud unit of the Attorney General’s Office, in collaboration with the Orangeburg Department of Public Safety. The inquiry revealed that between January 16 and February 5, 2024, Wright worked in an unlicensed community residential care facility where residents were locked in rooms, restricted from essential needs like food and medical services, and unable to exit the building. During the intervention, residents were taken into emergency protective custody. Additionally, Orangeburg firefighters discovered a malfunctioning natural gas heater that was causing gas fumes to accumulate, necessitating emergency ventilation of the residence.
Charges are still pending against Wright’s alleged accomplice and the owner of the facility, Estelle A. Hutchinson, aged 52, also from Orangeburg, S.C. Hutchinson is facing several charges, including Neglect of a Vulnerable Adult, Kidnapping, and Criminal Conspiracy. The South Carolina Attorney General’s Office is continuing to prosecute the case.
“The VAMPF has authority over Medicaid provider fraud and the abuse, neglect, and exploitation of individuals residing in assisted living facilities or nursing homes,” according to the statement. The South Carolina Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, also known as VAMPF, is largely funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which covers 75 percent of its budget through a grant for federal fiscal year 2025. The remaining funds are provided by the state of South Carolina.
Attorney General Wilson reminded the public that “all defendants are innocent until proven guilty in court.”
