ATLANTA — Suspended District 113 State Consultant Sharon Henderson (D-Covington) is predicted to plead responsible to expenses referring to pandemic unemployment fraud.
Henderson was indicted in December 2025 on two counts of theft of presidency funds and 10 counts of constructing false statements associated to alleged unemployment fraud from the COVID-19 pandemic.
In line with a current courtroom submitting, Henderson is ready to go earlier than a choose in Atlanta on July 30 at 10 a.m. for a change of plea listening to. This listening to comes simply over a month after Henderson was given 30 days to find out whether or not she wish to change her plea to responsible or take the case to trial.
A supply acquainted with the case confirmed to The Covington Information on Tuesday that Henderson is predicted to modify her plea from not responsible to responsible in a take care of prosecutors. It’s not clear, nevertheless, if the plea will embody lesser expenses than those she at present faces. The Information has reached out to Henderson for touch upon a number of events however has not heard again.
Prosecutors declare that Henderson collected $17,811 in false unemployment advantages after claiming she was out of labor in its place trainer for Henry County Colleges. The U.S. Division of Justice stated, nevertheless, that Henderson had not labored for Henry County Colleges since 2018, regardless of her submitting certifications to obtain unemployment advantages and accepting advantages as just lately as 2021.
Henderson was arrested on Dec. 8, 2025, and has maintained her innocence till this level. She tried to have the costs towards her thrown out in April, however was unsuccessful. She additionally just lately modified authorized illustration from Gerald Griggs to Paul Kish of Kish Regulation LLC in Atlanta. The Information has reached out to Kish for remark however has not heard again.
Two different state representatives, Karen Bennett (D-Stone Mountain) and Dexter Sharper (D-Valdosta), have been charged with pandemic unemployment fraud-related expenses, although their instances are unrelated.
Bennett pleaded responsible and was sentenced to time served, a $1,000 advantageous and ordered to pay full restitution of $13,940. Sharper additionally pleaded responsible to creating false statements to acquire funds administered by the U.S. Division of Labor and is ready to be sentenced in September. Each resigned from the Georgia Home of Representatives previous to their plea agreements.
Henderson was suspended by Gov. Brian Kemp in January simply earlier than this yr’s legislative session till the disposition of her case or till the expiration of her time period, whichever comes first. She won’t return to the Georgia Normal Meeting in 2027 after she unsuccessfully ran for the Georgia State Senate District 43 seat as an alternative of operating for reelection in her present Home seat.
However questions nonetheless stay on if Henderson may end out her remaining time period within the Home. In line with the Georgia Structure, any elected official convicted of a felony is straight away suspended indefinitely with out pay, no matter their present standing. As soon as the appeals course of turns into exhausted, then the seat would turn into open.
“Upon a ultimate conviction with no attraction or evaluation pending, the workplace shall be declared vacant and a successor to that workplace shall be chosen as supplied on this Structure or the legal guidelines enacted in pursuance thereof,” the Georgia Structure states.
Since it’s unlikely that Henderson would, or may, attraction a negotiated responsible plea, she would presumably be compelled out of her Home seat. Nevertheless, with each this yr’s legislative session and particular session coming to a detailed, it’s not clear if a particular election could be held to fill a time period spanning lower than a yr.
