Georgia State Representative Charged with Pandemic Unemployment Fraud — Sharon Henderson — Northern District of Georgia (December 8, 2025)

Summary

Press release of the U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Georgia, dated December 8, 2025. Sharon Henderson, a member of the Georgia House of Representatives, was arrested after a federal grand jury charged her with two counts of theft of government funds and ten counts of making false statements. The release says that in June 2020, while a candidate for a Georgia House seat, she allegedly applied for federal pandemic unemployment benefits claiming her current employer was Henry County Schools, although she had last worked there as a substitute teacher in 2018. She allegedly submitted weekly certifications, eight of them in June 2021 after being sworn in, and collected $17,811 in benefits she was not entitled to. The indictment only contains charges.

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PRESS RELEASE


Georgia State Representative charged with
pandemic unemployment fraud
Monday, December 8, 2025

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Georgia


ATLANTA - Sharon Henderson, a member of the Georgia House of Representatives, was
arrested today and should appear in court this afternoon after a federal grand jury
charged her with two counts of theft of government funds and ten counts of making
false statements.

“It is shocking that a public official would allegedly lie to profit from an emergency
program designed to help suffering community members,” said United States Attorney
Theodore S. Hertzberg. “Politicians who violate the public trust and steal from the needy
to enrich themselves will be held accountable.”

“Sharon Henderson allegedly chose greed over compassion by fraudulently obtaining
funds meant to help those in need, some in her own Georgia House district,” said FBI
Atlanta Special Agent in Charge Paul Brown. “We remain committed to find those who
take advantage of federal programs meant to help those truly in need.”

“An important part of the mission of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector
General is to investigate allegations of fraud involving unemployment insurance
programs. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to aggressively
investigate these types of allegations,” said Mathew Broadhurst, Special Agent in
Charge, Southeast Region, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General.

“Nobody is above the law, especially Georgia’s elected officials. This indictment should
send a clear message that theft of government funds intended for qualified citizens will
not be tolerated,” said Georgia State Inspector General Nigel Lange. “GA-OIG
appreciates the efforts of our state and federal partners in bringing this case for
prosecution.”
According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in
court: In 2020, in response to the forced closures of businesses and unprecedented
economic hardship resulting from the COVID-19 emergency, the U.S. Congress created
special unemployment compensation programs to provide cash assistance to individuals
who lost their jobs due to the pandemic. Applicants for the programs had to provide
their recent work histories and confirm, among other things, that COVID-19 was the
reason they were unemployed. Applicants also had to provide a certification for every
week for which they wished to claim benefits, attesting to whether they were actively
seeking work for the week and the reason they were unemployed.

In June 2020, while a candidate for a Georgia House seat, Henderson allegedly applied
for federal pandemic unemployment benefits claiming that her current employer was
Henry County Schools. Although Henderson had worked as a substitute teacher for
Henry County Schools for five days in 2018 (almost two years prior), she had not worked
for Henry County Schools since then. Additionally, the Substitute Teacher Agreement
Henderson signed in 2018 included an acknowledgment that substitute teachers are not
eligible to draw unemployment wages. Nevertheless, Henderson allegedly stated in the
application that she had worked for the school system throughout 2019 and as recently
as March 10, 2020; that she had paystubs as evidence of that employment in 2019; and
that her place of employment was closed as a direct result of the COVID-19 public
health emergency. She then allegedly submitted weekly certifications stating that she
was unable to reach her place of employment because of a COVID-19 quarantine. She
allegedly submitted eight of those certifications in June 2021, after she was sworn in and
serving as the state representative for District 113, which covers western Newton County
and part of Covington, Georgia.

Henderson allegedly collected $17,811 of pandemic unemployment benefits to which
she was not entitled as a result of false statements in her application and weekly
certifications.

Henderson should appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Justin S. Anand at 1:00 p.m.
today and is expected to enter a not-guilty plea. Members of the public are reminded
that the indictment only contains charges. The defendant is presumed innocent of the
charges, and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a
reasonable doubt at trial.

This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Department
of Labor – Office of Inspector General, Georgia Office of the State Inspector General, and
DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Garrett L. Bradford is prosecuting the case.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement
Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with
agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-
related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most
culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with
administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting
and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and
techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing
information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information
on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please
visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus

Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can
report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud
(NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form
at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office
at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S.
Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-
ndga.

Updated December 8, 2025


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