A former employee of the State of Georgia has been indicted for faking pregnancies in a paid leave scheme.
A Fulton County grand jury indicted Robin Folsom, former Director of External Affairs for the Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency (GVRA), last week. Her position placed her in a supervisory role over marketing and media communications.
According to the Georgia Inspector General’s Office:
In October 2020, Folsom informed the human resources division that she was pregnant, and eventually announced that she had given birth in May 2021. GVRA leadership later received an email from an individual claiming to be the father of the child and stating that Folsom had been mandated several weeks of rest following the delivery.
As a result, GVRA approved approximately seven weeks of paid FMLA leave that it otherwise would not have approved.
OIG’s investigation revealed that in March 2021, a co-worker observed the lower portion of Folsom’s stomach “come away” from her body and believed Folsom wore a fake pregnant stomach.
In addition, Folsom allegedly sent pictures of her new baby to various GVRA employees, however, the pictures appeared to be inconsistent and depicted children with varying skin tones.
Folsom had previously reported the birth of a child in July 2020, and claimed she was again pregnant in August 2021. OIG learned that the State Office of Vital Records did not possess any birth certificate listing Folsom as a mother, and a review of medical and insurance records found no indication that Folsom had ever delivered a child. Folsom resigned in October 2021 shortly after an interview with OIG investigators.
“All state employees, and especially those that communicate with the media and general public on behalf on their agency, should be held to the highest standards of integrity and honesty,” said State Inspector General Scott McAfee. “OIG will continue to hold state employees accountable if they choose to deceive their superiors and receive undeserved compensation.”
On February 10, 2022, Robin Folsom was indicted by a Fulton County grand jury on four felony counts, including:
- three counts of False Statements, and
- one count of Identity Fraud.
The Georgia Office of the Attorney General is prosecuting the case.
Members of the public are reminded that the indictment only contains charges. The defendant is presumed innocent of the charges, and it will be the state’s burden to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
