Palmetto State News

South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced that Rebecca Jean Workman, a former employee of an assisted living facility, has been sentenced to prison for financial crimes against a resident. On March 3, 2025, Workman pleaded guilty in Lancaster County on Chester County indictments. The charges included one count of Exploitation of a Vulnerable Adult, one count of Breach of Trust with Fraudulent Intent for amounts between $2,000 and $5,000, and one count of Financial Transaction Card Fraud for amounts over $500 within six months.

The Honorable Grace G. Knie presided over the case and sentenced Workman to five years in prison. This sentence was suspended to three years of active time in the South Carolina Department of Corrections followed by five years of probation. Additionally, Workman is required to pay restitution amounting to $4,418.97 and is prohibited from contacting the victims. The sentences will run concurrently.

An investigation by the Vulnerable Adult and Medicaid Provider Fraud (VAMPF) unit found that on or about October 3, 2023, while employed at Palmetto Village in Chester County, Workman misappropriated funds from a vulnerable adult residing at the facility through unauthorized ATM withdrawals and debit card transactions.

The VAMPF unit oversees Medicaid provider fraud as well as abuse and exploitation cases involving residents in assisted living facilities or nursing homes under federal regulations.

The South Carolina Medicaid Fraud Control Unit operates under the name VAMPF and receives 75 percent of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services through a grant totaling $2,889,252 for fiscal year 2025. The remaining 25 percent is funded by South Carolina with an allocation of $963,084 for FFY 2025.