Former Ga. lawmaker sentenced in fraud case, receives no jail time – Atlanta News First

Former Ga. lawmaker sentenced in fraud case, receives no jail time  Atlanta News First

A former Georgia State Representative who pleaded guilty to fraud charges in March will not face jail time. ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First/WRDW) — A former Georgia State Representative who pleaded guilty to fraud charges in March will not face jail time. According to the U.S. Northern District of Georgia Clerk of Court’s office, Dexter Sharper was sentenced to time served. He was also ordered to pay $10,096 in restitution and a $2,000 fine. Prosecutors said Sharper collected $13,825 in unemployment assistance benefits to which he was not entitled. Federal prosecutors said Sharper applied for unemployment assistance benefits from April 2020 through May 2021. In his initial application, he allegedly said he had only one employer, Dexter Sharper Party Rental, which he said employed him 40 hours a week for more than seven years, but that he had not worked since March 13, 2020.

Prosecutors said that in 38 separate weekly certifications, Sharper claimed he had not worked or earned any wages, was actively seeking work and had not refused any work. But the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia said he was working and earning money from two or three jobs a week. “I respect the process and the outcome. I’m grateful to move forward, and my focus now is on my family, my faith, and