Second state lawmaker pleads guilty to pandemic unemployment fraud
Former state Rep. Dexter Sharper pleaded guilty Wednesday to lying to the government to receive unemployment benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic, making him the second Democratic legislator to do so this year.
The decision in federal district court in Atlanta comes days after the Valdosta Democrat sent a letter to Gov. Brian Kemp resigning his House seat.
“After careful reflection and consideration with my family and counsel, I believe this decision is in the best interest of my constituents, the House, and the State of Georgia as I prepare to resolve a pending legal matter,” he wrote in his letter to Kemp.
Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia charged Sharper in January, accusing him of fraudulently receiving nearly $14,000 in unemployment benefits from April 2020 to May 2021.
Throughout that period, Sharper claimed to be unable to work for his party rental business and earned no money, according to federal prosecutors. But they say Sharper was earning money from that business, his salary as a legislator and occasionally as a musician.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Garrett L. Bradford said the government is recommending Sharper pay $10,096 in restitution and an additional $100 administrative fee.
U.S. District Court Judge Mark H. Cohen scheduled a sentencing date for July 21.
After the Wednesday hearing, Sharper told reporters that he loves the constituents he served for years as a legislator.
The case is part of a crackdown by the federal government on pandemic unemployment fraud against government officials. So far, three Democratic Georgia legislators have been targeted. In January, former state Rep. Karen Bennett pleaded guilty in federal court to a similar charge.
Prosecutors suggested the Stone Mountain Democrat should pay back all the money she improperly accumulated, in addition to administrative fees. The government did not request that Bennett serve jail time.
U.S. District Court Judge Eleanor Ross set an April 15 sentencing date.
Before charges were announced, Bennett resigned from her seat in the General Assembly.
Federal prosecutors also took aim at another state lawmaker late last year, Democrat Sharon Henderson. Kemp suspended the state representative after Henderson’s indictment on charges that she defrauded the government by taking COVID-19 pandemic-era unemployment benefits she was not entitled to.
But the indictment hasn’t slowed down her political aspirations. Henderson is seeking to dismiss the indictment and filed to run for the state Senate last week.
She argued in a February court filing that she has been unfairly targeted for federal prosecution and that similar fraud cases against other defendants were handled administratively or in state court.
About the Author
Caleb Groves is a general assignment reporter for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's politics team and a Kennesaw State University graduate.
