Advertisement AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite Another Democrat Georgia state lawmaker has been charged with COVID fraud. Dexter L. Sharper, a member of the Georgia House of Representatives, was charged with making false statements to fraudulently obtain thousands of dollars of emergency pandemic unemployment assistance payments. According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg and court documents, 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. “While many of his constituents and fellow citizens were losing jobs and desperately needed unemployment assistance during the pandemic, Representative Sharper allegedly pretended to be out of work to collect a share of unemployment benefits for himself,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “When government officials lie to take money, and do it while holding an elected office, it violates the trust of citizens and weakens faith in our elected government.” Applicants had to provide a certification for every week for w
