Two former temporary workers assigned to the Georgia Department of Community Affairs have been indicted in Fulton County after prosecutors accused them of using stolen identities to obtain more than $36,000 from a pandemic-era rental assistance program.
Jasmin Grant, 44, of Jonesboro, and Theresa Davis, 56, of East Point, worked for a staffing agency that placed them at the department, WSB-TV reported. The Georgia Attorney General’s Office said they allegedly used the identities of three people to submit applications and direct the payments into personal bank accounts.
A Fulton County grand jury returned the indictment June 4. Grant faces three counts each of false statements and writings and identity fraud. Davis faces one identity fraud count. The seven-count indictment says the applications were allegedly submitted in late 2021.
The Emergency Rental Assistance Program used federal money to help renters and landlords facing pandemic-related financial hardship. The U.S. Treasury says the two nationwide programs provided more than $46 billion for rent, utilities and housing-stability services.
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. Attorney General Chris Carr said alleged abuse of the program deprived taxpayers and families of critical relief.
Carr’s office announced a separate indictment in February against six people accused of targeting the same program in an alleged scheme involving nearly $230,000. That case included a former department employee accused of submitting and approving nine fraudulent applications.
Georgia’s rental assistance program stopped accepting applications in May 2023, but the department warned this year that scammers still pose as agency workers and seek payments from applicants.
Grant and Davis are presumed innocent unless proven guilty. An indictment contains allegations and is not a finding of guilt.
