ATLANTA (AP) — A second former Georgia state House member has been accused of lying to collect federal unemployment benefits during the pandemic.
Federal prosecutors filed charges Monday against Karen Bennett of Stone Mountain, accusing her of one count of making false statements to collect $13,940.
Bennett waived indictment, pleaded not guilty and was released on $10,000 bail after a Monday court appearance.
Lawyers for Bennett did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment Tuesday. In federal court, waiving indictment is often a prelude to a defendant pleading guilty.
Bennett, a Democrat, resigned from the House on Thursday. She was first elected in 2012, representing a district covering parts of DeKalb and Gwinnett counties.
She’s the second Democratic House member to be charged with lying to obtain federal unemployment assistance during the pandemic. Rep. Sharon Henderson, a Covington Democrat, was indicted in December on charges of theft of government funds and making false statements, accused of illegally collecting $17,811 in unemployment benefits. Henderson is free on bail and remains in office. Republican Gov. Brian Kemp has not yet appointed a review commission to determine whether Henderson should be suspended from office after the indictment.
U.S. Attorney Theodore Hertzberg said in December that other Georgia state House members were being investigated in addition to Henderson. It’s unclear if more charges will follow in addition to Bennett.
Prosecutors said Bennett, a physical therapist, lied in 2020 when she stated she was being prevented by quarantine from working for Metro Therapy Providers, a company Bennett owned. Prosecutors said that in reality, Bennett’s role with the company was administrative and she worked from a home office, instead of providing therapy to clients. They also allege that Metro Therapy continued operating and generating income after a brief disruption.
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In addition, prosecutors say Bennett failed to disclose that she was also receiving $905 in week pay from a church. Bennett has been a minister in the African Methodist Episcopal Church
The federal government paid special unemployment benefits during the pandemic, using state unemployment systems, to people who lost their jobs because of COVID-19. As with regular unemployment benefits, applicants had to certify every week that they remained unemployed to claim benefits.
Democrats are likely to start the session Monday with 79 members in the 180-member House. In addition to Bennett, Democratic state Rep. Lynn Heffner of Augusta resigned Monday, saying that her house was heavily damaged in 2024’s Hurricane Helene and that rebuilding has reached an “impasse,” casting doubt on whether Heffner could maintain residency in House District 130, which includes parts of Augusta.
Kemp must now call special elections to replace Bennett and Heffner. It’s unclear if their successors will be seated before the regular session ends.
