Latest news with #Mauldin
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Put It In Ink - Mauldin Tattoo Shop Built On Intimacy, Art of Ink
Jeff Pence is the Tattoo Man. Maybe it's the hour (or two or three hours) that clients spend at his custom tattoo shop in Mauldin … or the love or the hate or the hurt or the joy that brings them through the door … or the artwork they've chosen to wear on their skin … or the trust … or the intimacy ... or the pain. 'The tattoo man knows everything,' says Pence, founder and owner of Magic Rooster Tattoo. 'I've tattooed people who needed that tattoo. They needed it. A family member died. They're going through a bad time. For however long they're sitting with me, that's their release.' It is healing, Pence explains. But he shrugs, he says, when clients say so. 'Tattooing is very intimate and personal. I call it an intimate ritual. You're sitting with me, and I'm sitting with you,' he says. 'When people start to feel the pain, they feel comfort. It's therapeutic. They trust us, and they tell us a lot. We're fortunate. We love every one of our clients, and we appreciate the stories they tell us. 'We're the tattoo man.' Pence opened Magic Rooster Tattoo 10 years ago. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Greater Mauldin Chamber of Commerce. The shop, with staff and clients, has raised more than $30,000 for Shriners Hospitals for Children in Greenville and hosted fundraisers for Safe Harbor and Ronald McDonald House. The shop sponsors the Woodmont Youth Association and the Weatherstone neighborhood swim team. 'We try to give back,' he says. 'We're a tight little family here.' David Dill, LeeJohn Dean, Brandy Artz and Chris Glover work with Pence at Magic Rooster, 255 W. Butler Road. 'We've been together for a long time,' Pence says. 'We run a fun, wholesome shop. We care about tattooing. We care about the direction of tattooing. We care about the tattoos you get. We're thankful that we're able to make tattoos. We're appreciative of the community that allows us to be here.' Magic Rooster – named for 'Magic Rooster Blues' by Pence's favorite band, The Black Crowes – also has the legal right to do business, which hasn't always been true for tattoo shops. Tattooing was outlawed in South Carolina until 2004. Tattoo businesses now must obtain a license from the State of South Carolina, comply with health and safety standards, and locate at least 1,000 feet away from a school, playground or church. Tattoo artists train according to rules set by the state. Pence says Florence tattoo artist Ron White was at the forefront of the fight for legalization. White was arrested in 1999 and fined after a television station showed him tattooing in his home. He ultimately took his cause to the U.S. Supreme Court, which declined to hear the case. 'Tattooing was – I don't want to call it back alley, but it was kind of a taboo culture. Then we had the rise of the TV shows. 'Miami Ink.' All of them. They put tattooing in people's living rooms. A person might not have ever walked into a tattoo shop, but now they see these beautifully done tattoos from the comfort of their couch,' Pence says. 'That's how it went mainstream. We make fun of the TV shows. But they really propelled our careers.' Pence was 10 when his father died, and his uncles became powerful role models. 'They had tattoos and Harleys and long hair. I thought, 'I want to be cool like them.'' Tattoos were equally popular among his punk rock and skateboarding idols. Always an artist, Pence soaked it up. 'It was all around me,' he says. He got his first tattoo at 15, when his family moved to South Carolina from Ohio. He's lost track of how many he has today. Magic Rooster is the natural evolution. 'I worked with really great people,' Pence says. 'Guys I worked with were from the era of integrity and hard work and work ethic. Tattooing is not something you get into lightly, and it's not something that you can necessarily teach. You either have it or you don't.' Pence's mentor is Jason Eisenberg, who owns Holy City Tattoo in Charleston. Pence says he learned about tattoos, ethics, how to talk to people and how to run a shop. But when Pence and his wife, Whitney, moved to the Upstate after she graduated from the Medical University of South Carolina, Pence says he couldn't find a shop with 'the hard work, the care, the overall ethics of tattooing.' 'My way of being able to run a shop the way I wanted was to open one myself – bring in the people I wanted and have a shop that cared. I never wanted to be a business owner, but in hindsight, it's one of the best things I've ever done.' So, what about the pain of that tattoo needle? 'Tattoos don't feel like little puppies licking you. They do hurt,' Pence says. 'I tell people that it's got a little bite to it. But at the end, when you're looking in the mirror, you're thinking, 'That wasn't so bad. I could do that again.' You can sit through a little bit of discomfort for a lifetime of enjoyment.' Pence says tattoos have been found on ancient people entombed in ice. Soldiers brought tattoos home from far-flung wars and ports. But it was rock stars and celebrities who took tattoos to new heights. 'I'm lucky to have a custom shop. People come to us with an idea, and we draw it and make it their own. But if Rihanna gets a new tattoo today, that's what we'll be tattooing,' Pence says. He says the art he grew up with has given him more than he could have imagined. 'But you've got to be good to tattooing. She's eye-for-an-eye. If you treat tattooing bad and pervert it, you won't make it. 'The tattooing of yesteryear … It's come a long way. We've just got cooler jobs than you guys.' This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Put It In Ink - Mauldin Tattoo Shop Built On Intimacy, Art of Ink
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Weekly events: Blues, Matilda, flamingoes and more
Don't look now, but festival season is well underway. Bring the whole family for Mauldin's Blues and Jazz Festival (there's a great playground next to the amphitheater), and get ready for 'Matilda' at South Carolina Children's Theatre. There's a lot of fun coming up this spring. Be sure to visit Upstate Parent online for much more, including our celebration of local teachers and a look ahead at 'Fraggle Rock Live.' It's all at Attention, business owners: Get a free listing in Upstate Parent's birthday guide this July. The deadline for listings is May 12. Submit your free listing at To include your organization's family friendly events in Upstate Parent, email chris@ Night Life: Nature's Party Animals: A Study in Science is 9 a.m. – noon April 25 at TR Makers Co. Recommended for ages 5-11. $48 per session. From bats to bears and owls to opossums, uncover the unique features that help these awesome animals thrive in the darkness. For details and registration, visit Homeschool Days: South Carolina Regions and Ecosystems is 10 – 11:30 a.m. April 25 at the South Carolina Botanical Garden. Themes change monthly for this hands-on learning experience. Designed for ages 5 and older. For full details and registration, visit Afternoon Exploration is 1:30 – 5 p.m. April 25 at Roper Mountain Science Center. For details and tickets, visit Starry Nights programs are at Roper Mountain Science Center April 25. 'The Cowboy Astronomer' is at 4:30 p.m. 'Invaders of Mars!' is at 6 and 'From Earth to the Universe' is at 7:30 p.m. Advance ticket purchases are required. For details, visit Bilingual Story Time is at 4:30 p.m. April 25 at the Hughes Main Library. Cuentos bilingües en inglés y español para niños 7 años y menores acompañados por un adulto. Llame al 864-242-5000, ext. 2634 para más informatión. For details, visit Greenville Heritage Federal Credit Union Main Street Fridays is 5:30 – 9:30 p.m. April 25 at NOMA Square on Main Street. Visit 'Matilda: The Musical' opens at 7 p.m. April 25 at South Carolina Children's Theatre. Best enjoyed by ages 6 and older. The show continues through May 18. For tickets and details, visit The Hub City Spartanburgers play at 6:35 p.m. April 25. Stay for fireworks after the game. Visit Snow White & Her Fairytale Friends is presented by Carolina Ballet Theatre at 7:30 p.m. April 25 and at 2 p.m. April 26 at the Peace Center. For tickets and details, visit The Greater Greenville Master Gardeners Annual Plant Sale is 8 a.m. – noon April 26 at Jeff Lynch Appliances (17 Roper Mountain Road, Greenville). The sale is rain or shine. Hundreds of healthy plants will be available for sale and Master Gardeners will be on hand to help with selection. Credit cards are accepted for purchases over $25, as well as cash or checks. For details, visit Make GVL Greener Earth Fest 2025 is 10 a.m. – 9 p.m. April 26 at Pangaea Brewing, PKL Park and Southernside Brewing at Unity Park. Admission is free. The event includes live music, family activities and more. For details, visit The Greenville chapter of Citizens' Climate Lobby will host a battery recycling drive from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Pangaea Brewing. Bring rechargeable devices like phones, tablets, and laptops, plus rechargeable batteries/battery pack, (Li-ion, NiMH or NiCd) and non-rechargeable lithium batteries (photo, coin cell, etc.). Family Free Saturday for all ages is 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. April 26 at the Spartanburg Science Center. Admission is free. No registration is needed. Visit Let There Be Mom's Spring Market, Stop, Shop, & Stroll is 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. April 26 at Simpsonville Methodist Church. The event includes more than 70 vendors, including crafters, makers, bakers and growers, plus food trucks, a raffle, a kids' zone and more. For details, visit Storytime on the Steps is at 10 a.m. April 26 and April 30 at M. Judson Booksellers on Main Street in Greenville. Visit for a story time and sweet treat. The event will move indoors to the children's section if weather requires. Visit Nature Center Open House: Pollinators in the Garden is 1 – 4 p.m. April 26 at the South Carolina Botanical Garden. Drop by the Nature Learning Center to learn something new. The program is free and open to the public. The Caboose and Hunt Cabin will also be open during this event. For details, visit CoComelon: Sing-A-Long LIVE is at 2 p.m. April 26 at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena. For tickets and details, visit is 2 – 9 p.m. April 26 at the Mauldin Cultural Center's Outdoor Amphitheater. The event includes live music and more. Visit The Hub City Spartanburgers play at 4:35 p.m. April 26 and at 2:05 p.m. April 27. Visit Garden Sprouts is 10:30 – 11:30 a.m. April 29 at the South Carolina Botanical Garden. Preschool children and their caregivers discover the wonders of the Botanical Garden through nature walks, crafts and more. For full details and registration, visit Tell Me About It Tuesday: Flamingoes is at 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. April 29 at the Greenville Zoo. Included with admission. For details, visit STEM Story Time for ages 5 and younger is at 10 a.m. April 30 at the Spartanburg Science Center. For details, visit This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Events in Greenville, S.C. and the Upstate this week
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
What MATA's interim CEO charged to her company credit card
MEMPHIS, Tenn — The Memphis Area Transit Authority's former interim CEO was recently fired after the transit agency said an internal investigation questioned spending practices and found reported policy violations. WREG Investigators got hold of company credit card statements to get a closer look at how your taxpayer money was being spent. We asked for these credit card statements back in September when MATA announced its $60 million deficit and again this year. With help from the Reporter's Committee for the Freedom of the Press, MATA turned them over, because the Tennessee Records Act states they shouldn't be secret. A year after Bacarra Mauldin started at MATA as chief of staff in the summer of 2021, she secured her own company credit card. The then-CEO Gary Rosenfeld was the only other person at MATA who had one. MATA fires deputy CEO after investigation into spending Statements show in the first six months, Mauldin spent $868 dollars Amerigo Italian Restaurant, $141 at Fancy's Fish House, and $260 at Folks Folly Prime Steakhouse. If you tally up the dinners, bakery and catering orders from July 2022 through 2024, the total is around $16,000 dollars. Other charges on her card: $823 at Mednikow Jewelers for a 'jewelry repair/sale' in September 2022, around $1,100 at Montblanc, which sells luxury ballpoint pens, in January 2024, and around $1,400 at Jasper Float Spa, based in downtown Memphis. We tallied thousands of dollars in charges at Target, Sam's Club and Amazon. The statements don't give details what was exactly of dollars were also spent on plane tickets and seat upgrades. Sometimes Mauldin booked separate flights from her staff on a different airline that often times would cost more money. Her trips would also be more expensive when she flew in and out of other cities like Birmingham, where she once lived and worked. We tallied $3,368 spent on Ubers and cabs over those two and a half years including $183 for a black car service in Ohio in June 2024. There was also a charge for around $1,300 at Tennessee Limo in May 2024. Mauldin's credit card statements shows charges to her sorority Delta Sigma Theta.'I knew there were some financial challenges, but honestly, I had no idea the ride we were about to be on,' Mauldin said in an interview in November. She stressed she didn't know MATA was facing a $60 million shortfall until she stepped into the interim CEO role in January 2024 when Rosenfeld suddenly retired. She also stated she was working with TransPro, which is the group the mayor brought in to study the transit authority's operations. The mayor appointed a new board who voted this year to let TransPro rep John Lewis temporarily lead the agency. Shortly after, Lewis announced they found $144,000 dollars worth of purchases on the company card they believed were non-business related. Digging deeper into MATA's spending at spa, Amazon and more He said outside counsel has been hired to investigate the matter, and the state's comptroller's office was notified. Meanwhile, we're still waiting on the results from the auditing firm the city also hired. Mauldin was placed on leave in March. Her attorney, Vanecia Belser Kimbrow, told Your News Leader the card was in Mauldin's name but managed by the administration, and the charges in question have reasonable explanations.'The expenses were 100% reimbursed as related to the spa treatment by CIGNA insurance as part of the company's health and wellness plan,' she said. Mauldin was terminated weeks later for reportedly violating MATA's procurement and travel policy. ► Part One of this series: MATA credit cards show thousands spent on domestic, international travel Her attorney also told us, 'It's quite remarkable that Trans Pro, self proclaimed industry experts, now seeks to lay over 8+ years of poor financial controls, operational shortfalls, mismanagement, and the ills created by the well documented underfunding of MATA for over 8 years at Mrs. Mauldin's feet after she disclosed the sad state of MATA to its Board BEFORE she became Interim.' She added, 'Trans Pro must now earn its glory by peddling mischaracterized information that's deminimus at best, based upon policies and procedures that existed or not, which all preceded Mrs. Mauldin's 8 months of service as Interim CEO. Yet there's no mention of anyone except the Black Woman that held the seat for a short 8 months?' In a statement Wednesday, Kimbrow added, 'Mauldin was dealing with the terminal illness of her mother, who has since passed' and also 'struggling with a painful illness that made it impossible to travel on a small or cramped flight.' Mauldin booked one way flights to give her 'flexibility with her advocacy and meeting efforts,' and 'afforded her the ability to leave a meeting and travel directly home to Birmingham to be by her dying mother's side.' Kimbrow stated other government agencies 'give donations/sponsorships,' it's 'customary for any professional to take an Uber or car service,' and the Mont Blanc purchase was 'the retirement gift' for Rosenfeld. Lewis argued the past is now in their rearview mirror. He said the goal now is to rebuild trust and the agency's bank account. 'It's unfortunate we find ourselves in this situation,' he said. Get the latest from the WREG Investigators in your inbox When Mauldin started, two out of three buses were on time, according to the city's website. In 2022 and throughout 2023, half of MATA's buses ran late. The number only improved slightly last year. As of February, the city reports 64% of buses are on time. Mauldin's attorney sent WREG a response on her behalf. Here it is in its entirety: Mrs. Mauldin is still recovering from surgery and remains on FMLA, federally protected leave, despite her unlawful termination while on leave. Mrs. Mauldin was the interim for only a short time, 8 months to be exact. During which time she was directed by the Board to ' man the ship' while they embarked on a National Search for a permanent CEO. She took the assignment without any pay increase because she has a heart to serve the Citizens of Memphis and the employees of MATA. I will note that during her short tenure, Mrs. Mauldin was dealing with the terminal illness of her mother, who has since passed away; as well as struggling with painful illness that made it impossible to travel on small or cramped flights. She had been booked for surgery and FMLA prior to being appointed Interim, but given the unexpected exit of the prior CEO, she delayed a much needed surgery to 'man the ship' as requested by the Board, for what had been described as a short appointment as interim while they conducted a national search for the next CEO. I'll note that this short Interim Appointment as the Interim to man the ship came only with the interim title, and had no matching compensation. She was directed to just maintain the status quo and work with the practices, policies, and procedures that had been in place, while the Board worked to recruit a permanent CEO. ALL of the policies and procedures Mrs. Mauldin followed were in place, and well established before she assumed the Interim Post. As Deputy, she had no direct involvement with any MATA finances, review or otherwise; but rather was charged to advocate for added funding and better conditions for the drivers, and managing relations with the riders. She had no seat at any financial planning or oversight. She often presented reports prepared for her as directed by the CEO. The rational for her one way flights were two fold. 1) Single flights allowed her flexibility with her advocacy and meeting efforts to bring additional funds and best practices to MATA. Meetings with legislative agencies are not always definitive, and require fluidity. 2) Further, one way flights afforded her the ability to leave a meeting and travel directly home to Birmingham to be by her dying mother's side during a very tender time. She balanced the needs of MATA while dealing with extreme physical pain and the task of being a caregiver for her terminally ill Mother. Mrs. Mauldin required and has had two complete knee replacements. Her condition was so acutely that she could not bend her knees to fit into cramped seat, it was a physical impossibility. As such, upgrading to a seat that would accommodated her well documented medical condition was a necessity, and not a frivolous luxury. Mrs. Mauldin's chief responsibility as Deputy Director was Community Engagement and securing funding to support MATA. As the Chief community liaison, forging goodwill and raising the brand and profile of MATA was a core job responsibility. Therefore, partnering with an array of community groups and nonprofit organizations to raise awareness of the MATA brand was a function of her job. While you point to her supporting Get Out The Vote efforts with her sorority (whose founding principal involved promoting voting rights and awareness), the initial partnership to Get Out The Vote and MATA's Free Rides to the Polls Campaign was a partnership with The Election Commission. Moreover, it's not a new effort, it was just better publicized effort because of the well established work of her sorority in this space. The goal was to get voters to the polls, at no cost, to exercise their civic duty. MATA's voter awareness and GOTV efforts were spawned by a partnership with the Shelby County Election Commission, and was joined by all of the Divine 9 Greek Letter Organizations, and other nonprofit groups that raised Voter Awareness, and not 'just' her sorority. This type public partnership is not unlike many corporate entities, including those funded by EDGE, The Memphis Chamber, Convention and Visitors Bureau, Methodist, Baptist, The City of Memphis, and Shelby County Government, to name a few. All of the foregoing entities give donations/ sponsorships to other notable civic groups such as The Women's Foundation and their mission to empower underserved Women in Memphis. It's only because there is an attempt to paint her in a negative light that her community engagement work is under attack. Her creativity in this space should be celebrated, because her work empowered citizens and raised MATA's goodwill and brand. She was doing her job masterfully. Moreover, the policies in place regarding such community efforts preceded Mrs. Mauldin, were approved by her CEO, were supported by her Board, and were a continuation of similar approved activity that preceded her employment with MATA. Her actions were not arbitrary, but an extension of her job to build goodwill and rebuild the damaged MATA Brand. As Deputy and Interim, she had substantial support from the broader community as well as from the bus drivers and its union for her creative approach to transportation, including the launch of a program for college students to earn while training Rogers how to use the digital apps to track busses and map routes. The charge to Monte Blanc was the retirement gift to the former CEO Gary Rosenfeld. When traveling to multiple offices for meeting while visiting legislators, attending transit conferences or trainings, and representing MATA, it is customary for any professional to take an Uber or car service and not rent a car in a strange place or metropolitan area where parking is often hard to find and very expensive. My office is reviewing other charges on Mrs. Mauldin's card that was rarely in her physical possession. The standard operating practice for the credit card was that it was held by the Executive Assistant to the CEO, who would make most required purchases for the entire division, in addition to booking most of her travel arrangements. These charges were then submitted to and approved by the appropriate fiscal officer, who would sign off on the charges. While the practice may not have been ideal, it is the practice that long precede Mrs. Maudlin being asked to 'man the ship' for a short time, with no CFO pay or privilege to match the title. It was under Mrs. Mauldin's short tenure that she ended the contract on the suite with the Grizzlies. It was Mrs. Mauldin that conducted the independent audit that revealed the grave fiscal issues that had been unreported. Mrs. Mauldins produced and presented the first budget and conducted an audit for the first time in several years. Mrs. Mauldin was the 'Whistleblower', which should have afforded her several federal protections for her job. Prior to her assuming the interim seat, she had NO involvement in the fiscal controls of MATA. It is only because of Mrs. Mauldin's dedication to the Citizen's of Memphis, the drivers she supported, coupled with her diligence and bravery to come forward and reveal the truth about the fiscal standing of MATA, are we here today. This is a witch hunt and an attempt lay at years of MATA's woes at the feet of Mrs. Mauldin, which proof will show that she is the victim and a patsy of an embarrassed administration and a non-performing replacement. Trans-Pro didn't blow the lid off the financial misgivings and dated /lacking policies and controls, it was Mrs. Baccara Mauldin. It is Mrs. Mauldin that the public should be thanking for her courage and bravery to tell the truth last fall. If you all would review the timeline of the meetings and presentations and findings of the audit that Mrs. Mauldin had completed, as well as the 'Whistleblower' status that had been assigned to her by MATA's prior legal counsel, who was abruptly fired by John Lewis of Trans Pro, after being advised during her short tenure, it will show that her goal as exhibited by her exemplary efforts to get an audit, produce financials for the first time in over 18 months, was to Right the Ship and not simply Man The Ship, as she had been charged by her Board. Her story will prove to be groundbreaking as this saga unfolds with pending litigation as soon as my client is recovered and released from her doctor's care and released from FMLA. HER Story is forthcoming and what a revealing story it will be. John Lewis' attempts to garner fame on the back of Bacarra Mauldin will be short lived. She opened MATA's books and not TransPro. Their focus should be on performing the requirements of their 1.2 Million contract and not withholding the legal earnings of a sick and disabled employee while out on approved Family Medical Leave while recovering from a very difficult surgery, with no due process, spewing allegations filled with slander and libel to shock the conscience of an unassuming community that's often distracted from the facts by sensationalized news. Like many others, they will come, get paid, and go, leaving public transit no better, while the victim who was actually making real progress has her character assassinated in the news. While some of the choices made may be unpopular, none are illegal nor a knowing and willful violation of MATA policy. She was not afforded any grace, nor time to grow into the role, as any new job would require, she has been left to the wolves. But her day for Justice will come. If you need anything further, I will be happy to address your concerns, after my client is well and recovered from her illness. I ask that the media respect the directions of her medical team, and allow her the appropriate time to heal. Please find attached her Approved FMLA documentation for your records. She was and has been on leave since these unfortunate inflammatory allegations were first levied. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Yahoo
600% jump in SNAP scams in 3 months: Is DSS doing enough to protect EBT card holders?
(WSPA) $190 million in stolen SNAP benefits were reported to the Federal Government for just the last fiscal year (October 1, 2023- September 30, 2024). And in just the last quarter of that, SNAP scams jumped by 600% in South Carolina, alone. However, after December 20, 2024, the Federal Government stopped reimbursing EBT cardholders because of a change in the law. 7NEWS Here to Help took that concern to the state agency overseeing the program, the SC Department of Social Services, to ask what is being done to better protect families who need that money for food. When Tammy Mauldin, in Spartanburg, took custody of her great-granddaughter, Scarlett, she never imagined one day they wouldn't have enough food. 'I'm gonna cry, because I had to watch a baby ask me for things day after day, for months that I could not give her,' Mauldin said. Her EBT card with $1,500 in SNAP benefits had been drained by hackers as she tried to buy groceries online. When she reported the scam to the South Carolina Department of Social Services, Mauldin was shocked to find out where the money had been spent. 'He went through it and he said, well it is showing that your EBT was spent in NY because it shows them in the computer, and it was also spent in Philadelphia and somewhere in Pennsylvania,' Mauldin said. Sean Fay, the Inspector General for DSS, confirmed more than 99% of stolen SNAP funds are used in far-off states. 7NEWS asked him what was being done to try to curb these scams. 'The biggest thing is we've added or included that feature to allow them to turn off their card or lock it, and to not allow purchases out-of-state,' he said. Fay is referring to the ConnectEBT app which allows users to: Lock and unlock their cards Block online purchases Stop out-of-state transactions We asked Fay why SC couldn't automatically stop SNAP funds intended for SC recipients from being used out of state. 'Right now, there is a Federal law that says there has to be an inoperability between states so it cannot be turned on by default. There is a pilot program that SC has signed up for with the USDA…and the intent with that is that it's not going to work in places you probably wouldn't be,' Fay said, giving examples like Texas, NY and California. Still, there's no clear start date for that pilot program. While states like Ohio and Maryland have clear online descriptions of the ConnectEBT safety features, neither the South Carolina brochure sent to all SNAP recipients nor the ConnectEBT home page has any mention of how the app can lock the card and/or curb out-of-state purchases. To find that, you would need to look under the Stolen Benefit Replacement section of the DSS website and scroll down, or follow the DSS Facebook page. However, even then, many SC SNAP recipients find the fine print details easy to miss. Destiny Hughes, from Clinton, said she didn't know you could lock the card, even though that feature has been available for one year. She said that could have prevented $659 of her EBT money from being stolen 2 hours after she swiped her card at an Upstate convenience store. It was likely a skimming scam with her funds ending up 600 miles away. 'Somewhere in Pennsylvania at Food Lion,' said Hughes. Hughes believes her theft could have been prevented with chip technology, already being implemented in states like California and Oklahoma. So 7NEWS asked Fay about adding that safety feature. 'I think at some point we probably will have chip cards, probably sooner than later,' Fay said. Though he added, it's not a simple addition since not only does the state need to pay for new, more expensive cards, but thousands of merchants could also need to upgrade their chip readers to accept the cards. And it's not just chip technology that could help. 7NEWS reached out to the company that provides the EBT Cards to SC, Conduent. In a statement the company said, 'Conduent already has work underway, in support of state clients, to move SNAP benefits to chip cards and mobile wallets, such as Apple Pay and Google Pay, enabled with EMV technology. Transitioning to EMV is a proven fraud prevention strategy. Chip cards and mobile pay systems are already accepted across the country, and EBT payments should be afforded the same technological safeguards. Conduent has a dedicated team of specialists ready to partner with our state clients to make this transition as quickly as possible.' As for what scammers are doing with the funds, reports show they use them to buy goods that are easily resold, and there have also been instances where fraudsters were able to set up business accounts to deposit the funds and steal the cash. It is clear more needs to be done throughout the nation after the USDA reported a huge surge in SNAP scams towards the end of last year as the Federal Government was ending its policy to reimburse lost funds. Let's take a look at the numbers for just SC alone. For the fiscal year ending in September of 2024 (Oct. 2023- Sep. 2024), 1,711 people reported stolen funds. But from just October to December of last year (Oct. 2024-Dec. 2024) that number jumped to 11,892. Investigators believe many of those thefts were part of an organized crime ring. A recent nationwide survey by Propel suggested that true theft is much higher. 39% of victims said they never reported their loss. Propel also offers an app that, like ConnectEBT allows cardholders to monitor transactions and lock down funds. While it's not state-authorized, 1 in 4 cardholders use it for those tools and coupons. SC DSS told 7NEWS they could not comment on the use of Propel, and maintain the only authorized app is ConnectEBT. Renasia Dawkins said after $1,200 was stolen from her EBT card, downloading Propel was the only way she knew to help her track down where the money was spent. 'The manager was able to come back to me and tell me who they seen {sic} on camera how they were using the card,' Dawkins said, who learned it was a friend who had stolen the funds. She now locks and unlocks her card with every usage. The harsh reality, none of these victims we spoke with got reimbursed. 'A lot of people are scared, and you don't get protected. And I feel like you don't get protected because you're poor,' Mauldin said. They can only hope the state will work to make sure all EBT cardholders know to lock their funds so no one has to go hungry. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Miami Herald
25-03-2025
- Miami Herald
Two teachers from same private school accused of sexually abusing student, GA cops say
Two former teachers from the same private Christian school have been charged in a sex abuse case, state investigators said. Sherri Delle Mauldin, 60, of Greene County, was arrested and charged with having improper sexual contact with a student while employed at Nathanael Greene Academy, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Mauldin was also charged with aggravated child molestation and statutory rape, authorities said in a March 24 news release. Her arrest comes less than a week after Bonnie Elizabeth Brown, 25, another former Nathanael Greene Academy teacher, was also charged with improper sexual contact, according to investigators. Brown was teaching at Washington-Wilkes Primary School in nearby Wilkes County before her March 19 arrest, the school district said. It's unclear how long the alleged abuse occurred, though the GBI said it began investigating in June 2024 after reports of sexual contact between a student and former Nathanael Greene Academy educator. Authorities haven't said whether the cases involve the same student, or multiple students. McClatchy News reached out to the GBI for more information March 25 and was awaiting a response. Nathanael Greene Academy is a private, faith-based school in Siloam, a town about 60-miles west from Augusta. The school, which serves students K3-12, 'nurtures individuality, diversity, and morality in an academic environment,' its Facebook page said before it was deleted. In a statement posted March 24, administrators said they were aware of the former teachers' arrests. 'NGA's administration and Board of Trustees are cooperating with law enforcement and assisting them in every possible way,' the statement said. 'Nathanael Greene Academy is committed to the safety, welfare and education of all of its students - past, present and future.' An attorney representing a victim in the case confirmed their client had physical contact with both teachers 'at the school and outside the school,' WXIA reported. The student, through their attorney, expressed relief that both women were arrested. 'These women took advantage of their positions as my teachers,' they said, according to WXIA. 'My school did not protect me as a child. I see that now, and I hope that these arrests will protect our community and children in it.' Mauldin and Brown were both booked into the Greene County Sheriff's Office jail, the GBI said. Authorities said the investigation is ongoing. Once finished, the case will be handed off to the Ocmulgee District Attorney's Office for prosecution, the GBI said. Anyone with information on the case is asked to call the GBI regional investigative office in Milledgeville at 478-445-4173, or submit an anonymous tip online.
