Horry Co. child care operator charged with forgery, breach of trust

Courtesy SC DSS press release

Columbia, SC (WOLO) The Department of Social Services is charging a former child care owner, and operator with three counts of forgery and one count of breach of trust with fraudulent intent after Special Agents with the DSS conducted an investigation into the Horry County business owner. According to authorities, 60 year old Rodney Wayne Cox who operated the Conway Christian Academy, LLC. received thousands of dollars after submitting four South Carolina Building Blocks (SCBB) Grant Applications. According to arrest warrants obtained by ABC Columbia News, Cox is accused of signing each application, with the understanding that he would be able to furnish records for the how those funds were spent.

The warrants go on to detail that in order to obtain grant fund the person applying for them, Cox in this case, must agree to use the funds for “permissible purposes”, as well as keep records and other documents as proof that money was spent for the uses in which it was obtained.  According to arrest warrants, when DSS conducted an internal audit they determined Cox submitted fraudulent invoices between May of 2020 and June of 2021 that came from ” Christopher Sellers Construction” on three separate occasions, ultimately totalling $24,260.00 dollars in misused funds.  The warrants claims the actual documents given to them were for expenditures that never occured and as a result of their investigation determined the invoices were fraudulently created by Cox.

The Department of Social Services says they have since stripped Cox of the license he had allowing him to operate the Conway business and provide care for children here in South Carolina. Cox has been arrested and is being held at the J. Reuben Long Detention Center. Officials say the case will be prosecuted by the Fifteen the Circuit Solicitor’s Office.