A suspended member of the Georgia House of Representatives, Sharon Henderson, pleaded guilty in a federal court to making false statements in order to fraudulently obtain thousands of dollars of emergency pandemic-era unemployment assistance money. Henderson is the third member of the state House to face such a charge and plead guilty.
“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 went on to say. “Her prosecution and conviction demonstrate that elected officials who enrich themselves through fraud will be held accountable for violating the public’s trust.”
“Sharon Henderson, while holding elected office in the Georgia House of Representatives, illegally obtained taxpayer-funded unemployment benefits that were intended to provide financial assistance to workers who lost their jobs through no fault of their own,” Nigel Lange, Inspector General for the State of Georgia said in his comments on Henderson’s plea. “Our office remains committed to investigating and holding accountable those who misuse public funds and defraud American taxpayers.”
“Sharon Henderson was elected to serve the people of Georgia—not steal from them,” Anthony P. D’Esposito, Inspector General, U.S. Department of Labor said in his statement. “By exploiting her position for personal gain, she violated the public’s trust and undermined the integrity of our institutions. Public officials who betray the American people and abuse their power for personal benefit will be held fully accountable for their despicable actions”
“No one is above the law. My office will aggressively investigate those who dare to exploit public trust and defraud the American people,” he added, according to a report from the Justice Department. Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta Marlo Graham stated, “Pandemic relief programs were created to help Americans facing genuine hardship—not to enrich those willing to lie for personal gain.”
“When an elected official abuses taxpayer-funded programs through fraud, it undermines public confidence in both government institutions and the integrity of public service. The FBI and our law enforcement partners will continue to investigate and hold accountable anyone who exploits federal programs for personal benefit,” he added.
During the 2020 election cycle, while running for a seat on the Georgia House of Representatives, Henderson applied to receive federal pandemic unemployment benefits, saying that her employer was Henry County Schools. However, Henderson had not been employed by Henry County Schools for almost two years.
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Previously, she had only worked for five days as a substitute teacher. When she worked those five days in 2018, she signed an acknowledgment that stated substitute teachers were not eligible to draw unemployment benefits. Henderson falsely stated on her application that she worked for the school system through 2019 and in March 2020. She claimed to have paystubs as evidence to support her employment.
She submitted fraudulent weekly certifications stating that she couldn’t go to work because of a COVID quarantine. A total of eight of those certifications were submitted in June 2021, after she was already sworn-in and serving as the state representative for District 113. Henderson ultimately collected a total of $17,811 in pandemic benefits.
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