Suspended Georgia lawmaker pleads guilty to pandemic unemployment fraud

A suspended state lawmaker pleaded guilty Thursday to unemployment fraud, the third in a series of Georgia Democrats to do so. 

Former state Rep. Sharon Henderson, a Covington Democrat, was charged in December with fraudulently collecting thousands of dollars in pandemic-era unemployment benefits. Henderson will appear for a sentencing hearing on Nov. 3 before U.S. District Judge Michael Brown.

Previously, during an initial court appearance in December, Henderson pleaded not guilty. Gov. Brian Kemp suspended her from office in January. 

Henderson declined to comment on Thursday’s plea during a phone call with the Georgia Recorder. 

According to U.S. Attorney Theodore Hertzberg, Henderson falsely stated she was laid off as a Henry County substitute teacher in 2019 and collected $17,811 in unemployment benefits. Following her guilty plea, Hertzberg condemned the lawmaker for abusing the benefits program in a press release. 

“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,” Hertzberg wrote. “Her prosecution and conviction demonstrate that elected officials who enrich themselves through fraud will be held accountable for violating the public’s trust.”

According to Hertzberg, the state lawmaker applied for the emergency relief funds in June 2020 while running as a candidate for the Georgia House of Representatives. 

Hertzberg said court documents showed Henderson had not worked for Henry County since 2018, and had only been employed there for five days. On her unemployment benefits application, Henderson falsely claimed she had been employed with the school system until March 2020, and her employment ended because of COVID-19. Additionally, Hertzberg said Henderson continued to receive benefits after she was sworn in as state representative in 2021. 

Henderson represented District 113 for six years, having defeated incumbent Democrat Pam Dickerson in a 2020 primary and was reelected in 2022 and 2024. In April, Henderson unsuccessfully ran to unseat incumbent state Sen. Tonya Anderson of Lithonia in the Democratic primary. 

Two other former Georgia lawmakers, Rep. Karen Bennett of Stone Mountain and Rep. Dexter Sharper of Valdosta, both Democrats, pleaded guilty earlier this year to similar federal charges. Bennett was required to pay back $13,940 and a $1,000 fine but was not sentenced to any jail time by U.S. District Judge Eleanor Ross. 

“Pandemic relief programs were created to help Americans facing genuine hardship — not to enrich those willing to lie for personal gain,” Marlo Graham, special agent in charge of FBI Atlanta, wrote in the press release. “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.”