A former Georgia state employee alleged to have orchestrated a fake pregnancy scam has now been indicted by a grand jury.
Robin Folsom, 43, was indicted this month by a Fulton County grand jury on multiple felony counts, per a report from regional outlet WJCL.
In court documents, Folsom is listed as being charged with offenses including identity fraud, as well as three counts of making false statements. The identify fraud carries with it the potential of a sentence of up to 10 years, if convicted, and/or a fine of as much as $100,000. Each count of making false statements can result in up to five years behind bars and/or a fine of up to $1,000.
Per Georgia’s Office of the Inspector General, Folsom is the former Director of External Affairs for the Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency (GVRA). In October 2020, Folsom allegedly told HR that she was pregnant, later announcing a birth in May 2021. Following the receipt of an email from someone who said they were the father of the child, GVRA approved several weeks of paid leave “that it otherwise would not have approved.”
An investigation ultimately resulted in the uncovering of additional details, including, in March of last year, a co-worker stating they had witnessed “the lower portion of Folsom’s stomach ‘come away’ from her body.” Furthermore, this co-worker said they “believed Folsom wore a fake pregnant stomach.” Folsom is also alleged to have purported baby photos with her co-workers, although the pictures in question were “inconsistent” in nature.
“Fraud by state employees will not be tolerated,” Attorney General Chris Carr said in a statement released this month. “By working with Georgia’s independent Inspector General, we were able to discover, investigate and put an end to this alleged deception. We will always stand up to protect taxpayer dollars, and we look forward to presenting our case in court.”
Records are said to have shown “no indication” that Folsom had delivered a child. However, she had previously reported a birth in July 2020. In August of last year, Folsom again said she pregnant. By October 2021, and notably following an interview with investigators, Folsom had resigned from her position with GVRA.
“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,” Georgia’s Inspector General, Scott McAfee, said this week.
