Indicted Georgia lawmaker suspended from office
Gov. Brian Kemp on Thursday suspended a Newton County state lawmaker following her indictment on charges that she defrauded the government by taking unemployment benefits to which she was not entitled during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kemp’s order came on the recommendation of a three-member commission that determined the federal indictment of state Rep. Sharon Henderson, D-Covington, adversely affects her duties and the interests of the public. She will be suspended from office pending an outcome in the case or until the expiration of her term of office.
Henderson was charged last month and pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors say she collected federal pandemic unemployment benefits using false information.
She allegedly claimed she worked for the Henry County School District as a substitute teacher through March 2020 and was unable to return to work “for risk of exposure to COVID-19.” But prosecutors said she had not worked there since 2018.
In a post she shared to her Facebook page in December, Henderson wrote that she was “wrongfully accused” and asked for donations to help fight the allegations.
“I was extremely confused and shocked when I was told by FBI agents that I was being arrested,” she wrote. “All I could think was ‘what could I possibly have done?’ I was baffled.”
She added, “I would never do this or do anything illegal!”
Kemp named Republican Attorney General Chris Carr, Democratic Senate Minority Leader Harold Jones and Republican Speaker Pro Tem Jan Jones to a special commission Jan. 8 to determine if Henderson could stay in office or be suspended.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution obtained Henderson’s employment records, which showed the school district terminated her in February 2019. But she claimed on an unemployment benefits application that she was employed through December of that year.
Records show the school district terminated Henderson because she did not work enough hours to remain active within the substitute teacher system.
Henderson is accused of improperly collecting nearly $18,000 in pandemic unemployment benefits during the lockdown, which began in March 2020.
On Wednesday, another former state lawmaker who was accused of pandemic fraud pleaded guilty in federal court.
Karen Bennett, a Democrat who previously represented Stone Mountain, resigned from office before the announcement of the charges earlier this month.
She was charged with a felony for collecting $13,940 in federal unemployment benefits and supplements in 2020 after falsely stating that the COVID-19 pandemic prevented her from working.
More indictments against government officials are likely to come, U.S. Attorney Theodore Hertzberg said.
About the Author
Michelle Baruchman covers the Georgia House of Representatives and statewide issues. She is a politics news and enterprise reporter covering statewide political stories.
