South Carolina

SC man guilty of using stolen identities of mentally disabled people to bilk government of $1M

By Lyn Riddle
The NC Supreme Court overturned the robbery conviction of a Black defendant on Feb. 11, 2022, ruling that prosecutors engaged in race discrimination when selecting the jury. It was the first time the state’s highest court overturned a conviction on that basis.
The NC Supreme Court overturned the robbery conviction of a Black defendant on Feb. 11, 2022, ruling that prosecutors engaged in race discrimination when selecting the jury. It was the first time the state’s highest court overturned a conviction on that basis. GETTY IMAGES / ISTOCK IMAGE

A Greer man stole more than $1 million from Medicaid by submitting fake bills for treating low income mentally disabled people.

United States District Judge Donald C. Coggins sentenced Jonathan W. Sumter to 7.6 years in federal prison and required him to repay $1,055,373.66 to South Carolina Medicaid.

Sumter pleaded guilty to theft of government funds.

Assistant United States Attorney T. DeWayne Pearson told the court Sumter founded PHC Supportive Services ostensibly to provide rehabilitative behavioral health services, but never had any clients.

Sumter billed Medicaid using stolen National Provider Identifier numbers of nine health care professionals from 2015 to 2019.

Sumter used the stolen identities of 196 Medicaid recipients who suffer from severe mental and emotional health disorders. Investigators found none of the patients had received services from Sumter, Pearson said.

The case was investigated by the United States Department of Health and Human Services and the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office.

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