Seneca woman charged with exploitation of vulnerable adult

A 43-year-old Seneca woman has been arrested and charged with exploitation of a vulnerable adult.  The arrest of Jennifer Helen Wilks was announced by the state attorney general, Alan Wilson.  Wilks was jailed at Anderson on Friday.  According to the announcement, an investigation by the Oconee Sheriff’s Office and the state Medicaid Fraud Control Unit showed that between November 2022 and August last year, Wilks allegedly made unlawful and unauthorized use of the funds and assets of a vulnerable adult.  Specially, the accusation reads, that she used the victim’s debit card to make purchases for her benefit that totaled more than $500 dollars in a six-month period.  The victim was a patient at the Prisma Health Oconee Memorial Hospital and later at the Condor Health and Rehabilitation Center in Anderson. Exploitation of a Vulnerable Adult is a felony and, on conviction, has a penalty of up to five years in prison, a fine of up to $5,000, or both. Financial Transactions Card Fraud, more than $500 in a six-month period, is a felony and, on conviction, has a penalty of up to five years in prison, a fine of between $3,000 and $5,000, or both.