Former state Rep. Karen Bennett, D-Stone Mountain, pleaded guilty in federal court to making false statements to fraudulently obtain $13,940 in federal emergency relief funds during the COVID-19 pandemic, federal prosecutors said Wednesday.

“Bennett was elected to represent her fellow citizens and took a solemn oath to promote the best interests and prosperity of the State of Georgia,” Theodore S. Hertzberg, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia, said in a statement. “Instead, she violated that oath and, during an unprecedented emergency, lied to line her own pockets with taxpayer money intended to help community members in need.”

Bennett submitted weekly certifications for benefits from March through August 2020, claiming she earned only $300 per week from the General Assembly and none from her employer, Metro Therapy Providers, Inc., asserting the company would not let her return to the office.

But prosecutors said she was sole owner of Metro Therapy, doing administrative work from home even before the pandemic and that the business continued to function and generate revenue for her when she was claiming the unemployment funds.

Bennett also concealed a $905 weekly paycheck from her employment at a church, Hertzberg’s office said.

Bennett, 70, resigned from her state House seat at the end of last year, several days before she was charged. Georgia election officials on Wednesday announced a March 10 special election to select a successor.

In another case, state Rep. Sharon Henderson, D-Covington, pleaded not guilty Dec. 8 to theft of government funds, also in connection with COVID-19 relief funding. She was also released on a $10,000 bond and remains in office as Gov. Brian Kemp convenes a panel to assess her fitness to serve.

Capitol Beat is a nonprofit news service operated by the Georgia Press Educational Foundation that provides coverage of state government to newspapers throughout Georgia. For more information visit capitol-beat.org.