Latta woman accused of stealing $34,000 from Florence nursing home resident while acting as their conservator

by: Dennis Bright

FLORENCE, S.C. (WBTW) — A 64-year-old Dillon County woman is accused of stealing more than $34,000 from a Florence nursing home resident while acting as their conservator and power of attorney, according to the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office.

Delores Ann Edge of Latta is accused of one count of exploitation of a vulnerable adult and one count of breach of trust with fraudulent intent, with a value of $10,000 or more. She was booked into the Florence County Detention Center on Wednesday.

“Investigators determined that Edge, while acting as the victim’s conservator and power of attorney, knowingly and willfully engaged in improper, unlawful, and unauthorized use of the victim’s assets and property,” the attorney general’s office said in a news release. “The investigation further established that Edge expended approximately $34,071.98 of the victim’s funds for her own personal benefit without lawful authority or permission to do so.”

The alleged exploitation occurred between April 23, 2024, and Feb. 6, the attorney general’s office said. At the time, the victim was a resident at Veterans Village Nursing Home in Florence.

The attorney general’s Vulnerable Adults and Medicaid Provider Fraud unit, known as VAMPF, investigated the case along with the Florence County Sheriff’s Office. The Dillon County Sheriff’s Office assisted with the arrest of Edge.

If convicted, Edge faces up to five years in prison and a fine of not more than $5,000, or both, for the exploitation charge, the attorney general’s office said. The breach of trust charge carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison or a fine at the discretion of the court.

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Latta woman accused of stealing $34,000 from Florence nursing home resident while acting as their conservator