Will I Need a New Category for Elected Official COVID Fraud?

 7/30/26 CBS News:

A Georgia state lawmaker pled guilty in court on Thursday to making false statements in order to illegally collect nearly $18,000 in COVID-19 pandemic unemployment benefits while she was serving as an elected official.

Democratic Rep. Sharon Henderson, who represents Georgia's District 113, is the third member of the state House to plead guilty in connection with benefit fraud during the pandemic.

According to prosecutors, Henderson began applying for the benefits in June 2020, when she was still a candidate for the Georgia House. Investigators say she claimed she was working as a substitute teacher for Henry County Schools, even though she had not worked for the district since 2018, when she worked for five days. During that time, prosecutors say she also signed an acknowledgement that she was not not eligible to draw unemployment wages as a substitute teacher.

Investigators say Henderson falsely reported in her application that she worked for the school system throughout 2019 and as recently as March 10, 2020, and that her workplace had shut down because of the COVID-19 public health emergency.

She then allegedly filed weekly certifications claiming she could not report to work due to COVID-19 quarantine restrictions. Court filings show that even after she was sworn in, Henderson submitted eight additional certifications around June 2021. She was elected in 2020 and reelected in 2022 and 2024 to represent western Newton County and part of Covington.

In court, the 67-year-old lawmaker pled guilty to making false statement to obtain funds administered by the U.S. Department of Labor.