Sheriff: Georgia Man Posed as Physician at 5 Senior Care Facilities

Lexington County Sheriff’s detectives say a Georgia man will face charges of unlawfully practicing medicine at five senior care facilities in Lexington and Richland counties.

A U.S. Marshals Service fugitive task force arrested Ernest Osei Addo, 48, on Friday at his home at 1729 Brandemere Drive, Austell, Ga., Lexington County Sheriff James Metts said in a release.

Addo was being held Friday at the Cobb County Detention Center in Marietta, Ga., while awaiting extradition to Lexington County.

An arrest warrant alleges that between Feb. 15 and Aug. 22, Addo provided medical services to as many as 500 patients at five Agape Senior facilities while he was employed as a physician with Agape Primary Care.

Those facilities are:

• Agape Senior West Columbia, 2705 Leaphart Road, West Columbia
• Agape Senior Kathwood, 4520 Trenholm Road, Columbia
• Agape Senior Harbison, 990 Columbia Avenue, Irmo
• Agape Senior Lexington, 5422 Augusta Road, Lexington 
• Agape Rehab, 300 Agape Drive, West Columbia 

Deputies say Addo presented documents to Agape Senior, claiming to be an Orangeburg man who is licensed to practice medicine in South Carolina.

After Addo presented the documents, Agape Senior hired him to work as a physician. He quit working at Agape on Aug. 22.

According to the sheriff’s department, the Orangeburg man reported on Wednesday that he was the victim of identity theft and named Addo as the man who assumed his identity, and used credit cards issued in his name.

Deputies say Addo is a personal friend of the Orangeburg man.

Agape Senior is cooperating fully with detectives as they conduct an ongoing investigation, Metts said.

Additional charges could be filed against Addo in connection with unlawfully prescribing medication and unlawfully receiving wages from Agape Senior.