South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced that his office’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (SCMFCU) arrested William U. Smith Jr, 67 years old, of Clinton, SC on one count of Exploitation of a Vulnerable Adult and one count of Obtaining Signature or Property under False Pretenses, value $2,000 but less than $10,000. Smith was booked into the Laurens County Detention Center on August 18, 2023. An investigation by the SCMFCU revealed that between November 27, 2020, and September 30, 2022, Smith made unlawful and unauthorized use of the funds and assets of a vulnerable adult. It is further alleged that Smith accessed the victim’s Social Security benefit payments by utilizing the victim’s prepaid Direct Express debit card at several businesses in Laurens County. In total, investigators allege that Smith obtained $8,972.80 of the victim’s funds. The victim, a vulnerable adult under South Carolina law, resided at an assisted living facility during the time of the alleged misconduct.
