Former Georgia lawmaker pleads guilty to fraud over COVID unemployment benefits

A former Georgia House member pleaded guilty last week in charges related to collecting federal unemployment benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Former state Rep. Karen Bennett, D-Stone Mountain, pleaded guilty to one count of making false statements to collect $13,940 in federal unemployment benefits and supplements in 2020.

“Bennett was elected to represent her fellow citizens and took a solemn oath to promote the best interests and prosperity of the state of Georgia,” U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg said. “Instead, she violated that oath and, during an unprecedented emergency, lied to line her own pockets with taxpayer money intended to help community members in need.”

Bennett, 70, resigned from her position in the House just days before she was charged.

“Serving in this capacity has truly been a labor of love, and one I will deeply miss,” she wrote in her resignation letter.

Prosecutors said that Bennett claimed the pandemic prevented her from working for Metro Therapy Providers, a company Bennett owned. However, prosecutors said Bennett worked from a home office in a mainly administrative role, and the company continued to generate income after a brief break.

Bennet also failed to disclose that she received a weekly income of $905 from African Methodist Episcopal Church for being a minister, according to prosecutors.

U.S. District Judge Eleanor Ross set the sentencing for April 15, and Bennet’s attorneys said she will pay back the money she collected.