AFPI Statement on Georgia Lawmaker Charged with Pandemic Unemployment Fraud

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, Rebecca Yardley, Executive Director of American First Georgia at the America First Policy Institute (AFPI), issued the following statement about Georgia State Representative Sharon Henderson for allegedly defrauding pandemic unemployment programs:

“Representative Sharon Henderson has been charged with falsely claiming unemployment benefits during the pandemic, stealing from taxpayers and exploiting a crisis program meant to help Americans who had truly lost their jobs and were struggling to survive.”

Henderson has been indicted on two counts of theft of government funds and ten counts of making false statements, after allegedly fabricating her employment with Henry County Schools and submitting repeated false certifications to obtain more than $17,000 in pandemic unemployment benefits.

“It is reprehensible that a state representative would take advantage of a disaster program meant to help struggling Americans in a time of crisis. This case shows a much larger, systemic problem. The federal government distributed trillions with few guardrails, creating huge opportunities for abuse. No bureaucrat, including Sharon Henderson, should ever be above accountability and the law.”