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Georgia State Rep. Sharon Henderson Pleads Not Guilty After Federal Indictment Over Pandemic Jobless Aid

Prosecutors say she took $17,811 in jobless aid by falsely claiming school employment through 2020–21 certifications.

Overview

  • At an initial appearance in Atlanta, Henderson pleaded not guilty, surrendered her passport, and was released on a $10,000 unsecured bond.
  • A federal grand jury charged her with two counts of theft of government funds and ten counts of making false statements.
  • Prosecutors allege she claimed Henry County Schools as her employer despite only five days of substitute work in 2018 under an agreement that disqualified substitutes from unemployment benefits.
  • The indictment says she filed weekly certifications asserting COVID-19 prevented her from working, including eight submissions in June 2021 after she had taken office.
  • The multi-agency investigation includes the FBI, the Labor Department’s inspector general, Georgia’s state inspector general, and the DeKalb County district attorney, and the case falls within DOJ’s COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force as Georgia officials weigh potential suspension procedures under state law.