Palmetto State News

(COLUMBIA, S.C.) – South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced that his office’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (SCMFCU) has arrested Jason Dale Ray, 39 years old, of Cassatt, SC for allegedly exploiting a resident in an assisted living facility.

Ray is charged with one count of Exploitation of a Vulnerable Adult {43-35-0085 (D)},  one count of Financial Identity Fraud {16-13-0510(b)}, one count of Forgery, value less than $10,000 {16-13-0010 (A)(B)(2)}, one count of Obtaining Property or Signature under False Pretenses, value more than $2,000 but less than $10,000 {16-13-240(2)}, and one count of Forgery, no dollar amount {16-13-0010 (A)(C)}. Ray was booked into the Kershaw County Detention Center on June 12, 2023.

An SCMFCU investigation revealed that between May 2022 and October 2022 Jason Ray unlawfully and without consent accessed the victim’s banking account and converted $6,390 of the victim’s funds to his own use. Specifically, investigators allege that Ray, while disguised in a blond wig, sunglasses, and surgical mask to obscure his face, did knowingly and willfully forge the victim’s signature on multiple withdrawal slips while submitting them at a drive-up teller at a Lugoff bank. 

It is further alleged that in November of 2022, Ray forged power-of-attorney documents on the victim and submitted them to Mid-Carolina Credit Union to further the exploitation scheme. The victim, a vulnerable adult under South Carolina law, resided at an assisted living facility in Camden during the time of the alleged misconduct.

This case was referred to the SCMFCU for investigation by the Kershaw County Sheriff’s Office. The Kershaw County Sheriff’s Office also assisted in the investigation and the arrest of Ray. It will be prosecuted by the Attorney General’s Office. 

Exploitation of a Vulnerable Adult is a felony and, upon conviction, has a penalty of up to five years in prison, a fine not exceeding five thousand dollars, or both. Financial Identity Fraud is a felony and, upon conviction, has a penalty of up to ten years in prison, a fine at the discretion of the court, or both. The court may order restitution to the victim pursuant to 17-25-322. Forgery, value less than $10,000 is a felony and, upon conviction, has a penalty of up to five years in prison, a fine at the discretion of the court, or both. Obtaining signature or property under false pretenses, value more than $2,000 but less than $10,000 is a felony and, upon conviction, has a penalty of up to five years in prison, a fine at the discretion of the court, or both. Forgery, no dollar amount, is a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, has a penalty of up to three years in prison, a fine at the discretion of the court, or both.

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. 

Attorney General Wilson stressed all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty in a court of law.

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.

Original source can be found here