ATLANTA — Years after the COVID-19 pandemic, federal investigators say they are continuing to uncover evidence of pandemic-related fraud involving lawmakers in Georgia and across the country.
So far, three Georgia state representatives have been charged, most recently Democratic State Rep. Dexter Sharper. U.S. Attorney Theodore Hertzberg says Sharper will not be the last.
“There will be more charges of this kind against public officials at all levels of government,” Hertzberg said.
The recent indictments fall under a national Department of Justice initiative known as the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force, which was created to investigate and prosecute alleged pandemic relief fraud.
According to Sharper’s indictment, he claimed he was unemployed for 38 weeks and collected unemployment benefits for months. Federal prosecutors argue that during that same period, Sharper was employed serving in the General Assembly, running a party rental business and performing as a musician. Investigators say Sharper collected more than $13,000 in unemployment benefits during that time.
The U.S. Government Accountability Office estimates more than $300 billion in fraudulent unemployment payments were made nationwide between 2020 and 2023.
Federal prosecutors say investigations into pandemic relief fraud involving public officials are ongoing in Georgia and elsewhere. Hertzberg says accountability is essential.
“If the people are going to entrust their representatives to decide how taxpayer money is spent, the very least that we can expect of our elected officials is that they are not going to lie to take taxpayer money,” Hertzberg said.
Hertzberg added that while some of the dollar amounts in individual cases may be relatively small, they are still significant.
“The mere fact that these people, while being entrusted by the public to make decisions on their behalf and in their best interest, chose to lie to line their own pockets is something that calls out for a strong response,” he said.
Prosecutors say lawmakers at all levels of government are involved in alleged schemes, and more cases are pending.
“What connects all of these cases is our commitment to ensure that any public official who lies in order to steal from the public will be prosecuted and punished,” Hertzberg said.
WSB Radio’s Jonathan O’Brien contributed to this story.
