South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced that Erica Danielle Gilbert Nichols, 29 years old, of Converse, SC, pleaded guilty to five counts of Theft of a Controlled Substance, Neglect of a Vulnerable Adult, and Exploitation of a Vulnerable Adult. Nichols was sentenced to 5 years in prison suspended to 30 days in jail and 3 years’ probation. Nichols’ guilty plea stems from her actions while working as a caregiver at an assisted living facility in Spartanburg, SC, between October 2020 and March 2021. During this time, Nichols neglected and exploited five residents of the facility by unlawfully depriving them of their prescription pain medications. Nichols was also accused of unlawfully obtaining and possessing these controlled substances, including hydrocodone and oxycodone, for her own personal use. The facility reported Nichols’ misconduct to law enforcement and cooperated fully with the investigation. This case was investigated by DHEC’s Bureau of Drug Control with assistance from the South Carolina Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (SCMFCU). The case was also prosecuted by the SCMFCU.
