COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina Attorney General's Office's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (SCMFCU) has arrested a 42-year-old Irmo man on charges of fraud and exploitation of a vulnerable nursing home resident.
Sidney Lawrence Durham was charged with Financial Transaction Card Fraud (value over $500 in a six-month period) and Exploitation of a Vulnerable Adult and booked into the Lexington County Detention Center on Dec. 23, 2021.
Prosecutors say Durham, while an employee at Twilite Manor Adult Residential Care in Cayce, illegally obtained and used a resident's debit card to make unlawful and unauthorized use of the victim's funds -- which exceeded $500 within a six-month period. Under South Carolina law, the victim was considered a vulnerable adult at the time of the alleged misconduct. Because of his prior criminal history, Durham faces enhanced charges.
Financial Transaction Card Fraud (value over $500 in a six-month period) is a felony and, upon conviction, has a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a fine between $3,000 and $5,000, or both. Exploitation of a Vulnerable Adult is a felony and, upon conviction, carries a penalty of up to five years in prison, a fine of up to $5,000, or both, and the court may order the defendant to pay restitution. And a third or subsequent conviction of certain property crimes can result in a prison term of up to 10 years.
