SC prison employee stole check from inmate worth thousands, SC official says
A woman lost her job and was arrested for stealing money meant for an inmate at the prison where she worked, according to the South Carolina Department of Corrections.
Nishika Shavonta Shaw, a 33 Bennettsville resident, was charged with grand larceny, forgery and receiving stolen goods (more than $10,000), S.C. Department of Corrections officials said in a news release.
The charges involve stealing a $28,488.04 check addressed to an inmate at Evans Correctional Institution and working with an acquaintance to cash the check, according to the release. The male-only prison in Marlboro County is a medium-security facility, according to the S.C. Department of Corrections.
Before she was fired, Shaw worked in the mailroom at the prison, officials said.
That’s where she was on Jan. 9, 2024, and was handling inmates’ mail, when she removed and took possession of the check addressed to a prisoner, without authorization, according to an arrest warrant.
Shaw then “knowingly created and issued a falsified South Carolina Department of Corrections income and employment/pay statement in the name of an individual who was not employed with the S.C. Department of Corrections,” another arrest warrant said. Shaw gave the check to the real person, which constituted “the false making forging and uttering of a writing with the intent to defraud,” according to that arrest warrant.
There was no word if the check was deposited by this person, or they face any criminal charges.
Shaw was taken into custody April 1, according to the release.
Shaw’s bond was set at $25,000 on the combined charges and posted April 1, Marlboro County court records show.
The incident was investigated by the S.C. Department of Corrections Office of Inspector General, arrest warrants show.
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