South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced the arrest of two Upstate Medicaid providers on charges of alleged Medicaid provider fraud. Tami Ferguson Stewart, 65, from Simpsonville, and Sydney R. Weiss, 27, from Pickens, were taken into custody following an investigation by the Vulnerable Adults and Medicaid Provider Fraud unit (VAMPF) within the Attorney General’s Office.
According to investigators, between September 27, 2023, and February 25, 2024, Stewart and Weiss are accused of conspiring to defraud the South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (SCDHHS), which oversees the state’s Medicaid program. The case will be prosecuted by the Attorney General’s Office.
The VAMPF unit operates under federal regulations with authority over Medicaid provider fraud as well as abuse and neglect involving Medicaid beneficiaries in any setting. It also addresses cases concerning individuals residing in assisted living facilities or nursing homes.
Attorney General Wilson stated: “All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty in a court of law.”
The South Carolina Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (operating as VAMPF) is primarily funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for federal fiscal year 2026. This grant provides $2,964,287—representing 75 percent of the funding—with South Carolina contributing the remaining 25 percent at $988,096 for that year.
