South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced that Ya’Zeir Armayne Hedgeman, a 25-year-old home care aide from Greenville, has been arrested and charged following allegations of sexual assault involving a minor and a vulnerable adult. The arrest was carried out by the Vulnerable Adults and Medicaid Provider Fraud unit (VAMPF) of the Attorney General’s Office.
Hedgeman was taken into custody at the Greenville County Detention Center on January 9, 2026. According to investigators from VAMPF and the Greenville Police Department, the alleged incidents occurred between May 1, 2025, and August 18, 2025. During this period, Hedgeman is accused of committing sexual battery against two individuals while working as their home care aide at a private residence in Greenville. One victim is described as a minor; the other is identified as a vulnerable adult with a mental condition that limited her ability to care for or protect herself.
Investigators reported that both victims disclosed criminal sexual conduct by Hedgeman. The vulnerable adult stated she was awoken from sleep by nonconsensual actions. In addition to these allegations, authorities claim Hedgeman encouraged the minor victim to break state law by providing her with nicotine electronic smoking devices.
The case will be prosecuted by the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office. “Attorney General Wilson stressed all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty in a court of law.”
VAMPF operates under federal regulations with authority over Medicaid provider fraud as well as abuse and neglect cases involving Medicaid beneficiaries in various settings. For federal fiscal year 2026, VAMPF receives most of its funding—75 percent—from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services through a grant totaling $2,964,287; South Carolina provides the remaining 25 percent amounting to $988,096.
The South Carolina Attorney General serves as the state’s chief prosecutor and legal counsel, overseeing divisions responsible for criminal matters, civil litigation, consumer protection, and regulatory enforcement throughout South Carolina (official website). The office also collaborates with state law enforcement agencies on criminal prosecutions (official website) and offers support services for crime victims across the state (official website).
