2 Atlanta women indicted in alleged COVID rental aid fraud scheme
ATLANTA - Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr announced Thursday that a Fulton County grand jury has indicted two former contract workers accused of fraudulently obtaining more than $36,000 from a COVID-19 rental assistance program.
What we know:
According to the Attorney General's Office, Jasmin Grant, 44, of Jonesboro, and Theresa Davis, 56, of East Point, are accused of using the identities of other individuals to apply for benefits through the Georgia Department of Community Affairs' Emergency Rental Assistance Program.
The federally funded program was created to help renters and landlords facing financial hardship during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Investigators allege stolen identities were used
What they're saying:
Prosecutors allege Grant and Davis were employed through a temporary staffing agency and assigned to work at the Georgia Department of Community Affairs when the scheme occurred.
Authorities claim the defendants used the identities of three individuals to submit rental assistance applications and then directed the payments to their own bank accounts. Investigators allege the pair collected all of the fraudulently obtained funds, totaling more than $36,000.
Charges filed
A Fulton County grand jury returned the indictment on June 4 after hearing evidence presented by the Attorney General's White Collar and Cyber Crime Unit.
Grant is charged with three counts of false statements and writings and three counts of identity fraud.
Davis is charged with one count of identity fraud.
Investigation and response
The backstory:
The case was investigated by the Georgia Office of Inspector General and the Department of Community Affairs, with assistance from the Attorney General's White Collar and Cyber Crime Unit.
The indictment follows a separate case announced earlier this year in which six individuals were charged in connection with an alleged $230,000 fraud scheme targeting the same Emergency Rental Assistance Program.
Presumption of innocence
What's next:
An indictment contains allegations only. Grant and Davis are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court. Prosecutors must prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt.