Federal prosecutors have charged another Georgia lawmaker with making false statements to fraudulently obtain thousands of dollars of pandemic unemployment assistance.

Rep. Dexter Sharper, D-Valdosta, was arraigned on Friday on charges of making false statements to obtain $13,825 in unemployment assistance benefits to which he was not entitled, according to U.S. Attorney Theodore Hertzberg of the Northern District of Georgia.

Sharper had filed federal forms during the pandemic asserting that he had one employer, Dexter Sharper Party Rental, and had not worked since March 13, 2020, filing certifications during the next 38 weeks that he had no income, Hertzberg’s office said.

But prosecutors said he was receiving at least $325 a week from the Georgia General Assembly, generating up to $2,231 in income a week from his party rental business, and collecting up to $275 a week for work as a musician.

Sharper is the third Georgia state representative accused of defrauding the COVID-19 unemployment program.

Former Rep. Karen Bennet, D-Stone Mountain, pleaded guilty in federal court to making false statements to fraudulently obtain $13,940 in federal emergency relief, Hertzberg’s office said earlier this month.

And Rep. Sharon Henderson, D-Covington, was charged in December with making false statements to obtain $17,811 in unemployment benefits to which she was not entitled. Henderson pleaded not guilty. Gov. Brian Kemp suspended her from office last week pending the outcome of her case or the end of her term.

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.