Third Georgia lawmaker admits stealing pandemic unemployment funds
Suspended Georgia State Rep. Sharon Henderson pled guilty in federal court Thursday morning to making false statements to illegally obtain $17,811 in pandemic unemployment benefits.
Henderson, 67, of Covington, is the third member of the Georgia House of Representatives to plead guilty to federal charges involving pandemic relief fraud this year.
According to court records and information presented by prosecutors, Henderson applied for federal pandemic unemployment assistance in June 2020 while running for office. On her application, she stated that she worked for Henry County Schools throughout 2019 and until March 2020, and claimed the school system closed as a direct result of the COVID-19 emergency.
However, investigators found Henderson had not worked for the school system in nearly two years. Her entire employment history with the district consisted of five days as a substitute teacher in 2018. Before working those days, she signed a form acknowledging that substitute teachers were not eligible for unemployment benefits.
Despite that agreement, Henderson submitted fraudulent weekly claims asserting she could not work due to a COVID-19 quarantine. She filed eight of those claims in June 2021 after being sworn in as the representative for District 113, which includes western Newton County and part of Covington.
“While running for and holding political office, Representative Henderson was fleecing taxpayers, lying to steal money from federal programs intended to help people who lost their jobs due to the pandemic,” U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg said in a statement.
Law enforcement officials involved in the joint investigation pointed to the breach of trust involved in the case.
“Sharon Henderson was elected to serve the people of Georgia—not steal from them,” said Anthony P. D’Esposito, Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Labor. “By exploiting her position for personal gain, she violated the public’s trust and undermined the integrity of our institutions.”
Nigel Lange, Inspector General for the State of Georgia, and Marlo Graham, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta, both emphasized that their offices will continue to investigate public officials who misuse emergency funds for personal enrichment.
Henderson’s conviction follows similar cases involving two former state representatives earlier this year. Karen L. Bennett, who represented District 94, pled guilty on Jan. 21 to fraudulently obtaining $13,940 in benefits. Dexter L. Sharper, who represented District 177, pled guilty on March 11 to fraudulently collecting $13,825.
The case was investigated by the Georgia Office of the State Inspector General, the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Garrett L. Bradford is handling the prosecution.
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