Karen Bennett in her official Georgia House of Representatives portrait. (Georgia General Assembly )
ATLANTA - A former Georgia representative has pleaded guilty to filing false statements that led to her claiming thousands in emergency pandemic unemployment assistance payments, federal prosecutors say.
What we know:
Karen Bennett, who resigned from her post in the Georgia House of Representatives on Jan. 1, applied for weekly pandemic unemployment assistance from March to August 2020, investigators claim.
Bennett, 70, represented House District 94, which includes parts of DeKalb and Gwinnett counties.
In the forms, Bennett would say she was only bringing in about $300 week from the Georgia General Assembly and that her primary employer, Metro Therapy Providers, Inc., was not allowing her to work due to COVID-19 protocols. She also claimed she was actively looking for a new job.
Bennett’s role at her company was actually administrative, and she worked from home, authorities found. During the pandemic, Bennett’s work was not hindered, and she continued to receive income, prosecutors say.
RELATED: Feds charge former Georgia lawmaker for allegedly faking COVID-19 job loss
By the numbers:
Overall, Bennett collected about $13,940 in unemployment money. She also collected a weekly $905 from a church she worked for, which she failed to document.
What's next:
The government has said it is seeking a money judgment for the total amount Bennett received; however, it is unclear whether she will serve jail time.
The Source: Information in this report comes from the US Department of Justice and prior FOX 5 reporting.