A 37-year-old woman is accused of practicing medicine as a registered nurse without a license at seven South Carolina nursing and assisted living facilities over the course of 16 months.
South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced Oct. 27 that his office's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit arrested Alyssa Beth Steele, who allegedly used a State of Georgia Board of Nursing license number that belonged to someone else to gain employment as an RN in the seven facilities from January 2020 to June 2021.
Ms. Steele allegedly did not have the certifications, qualifications or training required of a registered nurse throughout her employment at Cascades Verdae Assisted Living Facility in Greenville, Iva (S.C.) Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center, Piedmont (S.C.) Post Acute, Brookdale Assisted Living Facility in Anderson, Condor Health in Anderson, Easley (S.C.) Place Assisted Living Facility and Fleetwood Rehabilitation and Healthcare Assisted Living in Easley, according to the attorney general's office.
Ms. Steele faces charges on seven counts of neglect of a vulnerable adult, five counts of unlicensed practice as a registered nurse, one count of financial identity fraud to obtain employment, and one count of obtaining signature or property under false pretenses.
"By holding herself out as having credentials she did not possess, [Ms.] Steele's conduct resulted in a failure to provide adequate medical care and services to vulnerable adults and presented a substantial risk of causing physical or mental injuries to the residents under her care," read the state attorney general's office news release.