A Third Democrat Has Been Busted for Fraud in the Last Month
The Department of Justice has completed what can only be described as a political fraud hat trick in Georgia, charging a third Democratic lawmaker with allegedly stealing unemployment benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic. This time, the spotlight falls on state Rep. Dexter Sharper, who federal prosecutors say fraudulently collected thousands of dollars in aid while continuing to work and earn steady income.
According to the DOJ, Sharper applied for pandemic-era unemployment benefits in 2020, claiming he was out of work when he was anything but. Prosecutors allege that he pulled in roughly $13,825 in unemployment payments while earning as much as $2,231 per week at one job, plus up to an additional $275 weekly as a musician.
To keep the money flowing, Sharper allegedly submitted repeated false weekly certifications asserting that he was unemployed. The charge is not a paperwork error or a technical misunderstanding; it is, according to federal authorities, a sustained pattern of deception.
U.S. Attorney Theodore Hertzberg did not soften the language. He emphasized that Sharper’s alleged conduct occurred while many Georgians were genuinely unemployed and struggling to survive.
The accusation cuts deeper because it involves an elected official, someone entrusted to safeguard public resources rather than siphon them for personal gain. When lawmakers are accused of exploiting emergency relief programs, the damage is not merely financial but institutional, further eroding public confidence in government itself.
What makes Sharper’s case particularly striking is that it is not an isolated incident. He is the third Democratic politician in Georgia to face federal charges related to pandemic unemployment fraud. Former state Rep. Karen Bennett resigned before pleading guilty in January to stealing nearly $14,000.
Another Democrat, state Rep. Sharon Henderson, was indicted in December over the alleged theft of almost $18,000. The similarities in timing, method, and amount suggest not coincidence, but a disturbing pattern of entitlement and abuse.
Georgia Inspector General Nigel Lange captured the gravity of the situation bluntly, calling the alleged conduct “disgraceful” and a “disgusting abuse” of office. His remarks reflect a broader frustration that relief funds intended for desperate citizens were allegedly treated as easy money by those with political power and insider knowledge.
Sharper has declined to comment on the advice of counsel, and Democratic leadership in the Georgia House has remained conspicuously silent. Meanwhile, Sharper’s official biography has quietly vanished from the state legislature’s website, though archived records show him involved in multiple private business ventures, making the claim of unemployment all the more difficult to reconcile with reality.