A former Georgia Department of Community Affairs worker is accused of turning the state’s emergency rental assistance program into a personal cash spigot, with prosecutors saying nearly $230,000 in COVID-era rent relief was siphoned away from tenants and landlords who actually needed help.
According to a press release from the Georgia Attorney General’s Office, the White Collar and Cyber Crime Unit presented evidence to a Fulton County grand jury on Jan. 30, 2026, which returned an indictment against six people. The release identifies 37-year-old Porsha Robinson of Jonesboro as the former DCA employee and says she faces one count of identity fraud and nine counts of false statements and writings.
As reported by CBS News Atlanta, prosecutors allege Robinson submitted and approved nine fraudulent emergency rental assistance applications while working at DCA from 2021 to 2022, then routed the money into bank accounts she owned or controlled. Five of those applications were allegedly filed in the names of Robinson’s co-defendants, who are accused of kicking back a substantial portion of the money, while the remaining claims allegedly used the identities of other Georgia residents.
Who Was Indicted
The Fulton County indictment names five co-defendants: Daveon Williams, 28; Sean Wimbush, 32; Dashon Holloman, 31; Miranda Payne, 36; and Davier Ladmirault, 26. Each is charged with one count of false statements and writings, according to the Georgia Attorney General’s Office.
How The Alleged Scheme Worked
Prosecutors say Robinson used her insider access at DCA to push through bogus rental assistance applications and steer the cash away from legitimate tenants and landlords. Her co-defendants allegedly supplied their own names or other identities as applicants and then paid her kickbacks, a pattern detailed in local coverage by CBS News Atlanta.
The Emergency Rental Assistance Program was funded by the federal government to help renters and property owners who were hammered by the economic fallout of the pandemic. The U.S. Department of the Treasury has reported that the initiative ultimately delivered millions of payments nationwide during the COVID crisis.
Wider Crackdown On Pandemic Fraud
The case lands in the middle of a broader push by state and federal authorities to claw back misused COVID relief money in Georgia. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta charged state Rep. Dexter L. Sharper in January with making false statements to obtain pandemic unemployment benefits, according to a Department of Justice press release, and the Associated Press has reported on earlier cases involving Rep. Sharon Henderson and former Rep. Karen Bennett.
What’s Next
The Fulton County case against Robinson and her co-defendants remains pending, and prosecutors have not publicly released court dates or a timeline for future filings. Atlanta News First reports that the Attorney General’s Office has said no further information may be released at this stage while the investigation continues.
Legal Implications
For now, the indictment is an allegation, not a verdict. All six defendants are presumed innocent as the case moves through Fulton County’s courts. If any are ultimately convicted, they could face criminal penalties under Georgia law and may be ordered to repay the misspent funds, but any punishment will depend on how judges and juries resolve the specific charges.
