ATLANTA — A former Atlanta city employee said a woman was making fake GEDs so people could get promotions and jobs within the Public Works Department.
Mernena Henderson is the whistleblower, and she said she was fired after being falsely accused in the scheme. Henderson said an employee was also making fake pay stubs so employees could get loans and government benefits.
During the prehearing in old Atlanta City Hall, a city attorney explained the scandal that came to light in 2012 within the Atlanta public works department.
"It was an enterprise or scheme of producing and helping to produce false documents to benefit city employees. A lot of GEDs were used in order for those persons to get hired by the city of Atlanta," said a city attorney.
The attorney explained how fake pay stubs were also used.
"Sometimes you need to prove that you make more money than you do so you can rent an apartment or buy a car. On the flip side, sometimes you need to represent that you made less money so you can qualify for governmental benefits," said the attorney.
Henderson said many needed the fake pay stubs to qualify for a loan for a car. Henderson said she was targeted because she unknowingly transported the fake documents.
"I was terminated because they said I was the mastermind in making the false documents," said Henderson.
Henderson said that couldn't be further from the truth and she is the one who reported how the documents were being made.
"There is supportive evidence that does say clearly that this employee is not the person that the terminology or allegations say she is," said Gwendolyn Gillespie, who represents Henderson.
Channel 2's Craig Lucie sat inside the civil services meeting and interviewed a witness following their meeting. He asked Martha Parker if dozens of people used the fake GEDs.
"Yes, I guess there were dozens," answered Parker. She said they were all using the fake GEDs to get promotions.
That hearing for this case will be in late October or November.
WSBTV
