Nice to Know: South Carolina alleges financial exploitation of an assisted-living resident
Oct 18, 2026 edition · GC-2026-0430 · Published 2026-10-18 · Version 1 · Announced
A South Carolina release alleges that Paul M. Bostrom used power of attorney to divert more than $10,000 from an assisted-living resident. It reports criminal charges and a booking, without a conviction or an allegation that the facility participated.
What happened
South Carolina’s Attorney General announced October 13 that Paul M. Bostrom had been arrested on charges of exploitation of a vulnerable adult and breach of trust with fraudulent intent involving $10,000 or more. Bostrom was booked October 12 following a joint investigation by the Vulnerable Adults and Medicaid Provider Fraud unit and the Lexington Police Department. The release reports allegations and charging activity, and states that defendants are presumed innocent unless proved guilty.
Investigators allege that Bostrom used his position as power of attorney to convert the resident’s funds and assets for his own benefit, intending to permanently deprive the resident of them. The alleged amount exceeds $10,000, and the resident lived in an assisted living facility during the alleged misconduct. The release supplies a connection to resident financial protection, but does not identify Bostrom as a care provider or facility employee, attribute wrongdoing to the facility, or establish a new provider obligation.
Scope and timing
- Authority status
- Announced
- Applicability
- General intelligence
- Audience
- Health systems, Provider networks
- Jurisdiction
- South Carolina
- Affected functions
- Compliance, Legal
- Responsible owner
- Compliance
Why it matters
The case may inform awareness of alleged financial exploitation involving a representative of an assisted-living resident. The allegation concerns misuse of financial authority, rather than a reported healthcare billing scheme or institutional enforcement resolution.
Recommended action
Consider the case in resident-protection awareness where existing concerns involve a representative’s control of finances. Keep criminal allegations separate from a finding of guilt and from any unsupported inference about facility responsibility.
Case details
- agencies
- South Carolina Attorney General’s Office, Vulnerable Adults and Medicaid Provider Fraud unit, Lexington Police Department
- entities
- Paul M. Bostrom
- action Type
- Criminal charge
- event Date
- 2026-10-13
- alleged Conduct
- Alleged conversion of more than $10,000 in funds and assets of an assisted-living resident by a person acting as the resident’s power of attorney.
- resolution
- October 13 announcement of criminal charges and an October 12 booking; no adjudication of guilt reported.
Operational lessons
- Identify the accused person’s actual role and preserve the distinction between alleged exploitation of a resident and misconduct by the resident’s facility.
Sources
- Attorney General Alan Wilson announces man with power of attorney charged with stealing more than $10,000 from vulnerable adultOfficial · South Carolina Attorney General’s Office · 2026-10-13
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