Ex-Georgia official faked pregnancy in paid leave scheme, coworker saw ‘baby belly’ slip

by mcardinal

Chris Lange, FISM News

 

A former Georgia official is facing charges for faking a pregnancy so she could take paid maternity leave. Robin Fulsom, 43, who served as the director of external affairs for the state’s Vocational Rehabilitation Agency, wore a false “baby bump” and concocted a phony father-to-be to send e-mails to her boss stating that she was under doctor’s orders to take several weeks of bed rest after purportedly giving birth in May of 2021, according to a statement from the Georgia Office of the Inspector General. Her scheme began to unravel, however, when a co-worker reported seeing her bogus baby bump slip.  

Folsom also sent photos of her supposed newborn to colleagues who noticed that the images “depicted children with varying skin tones,” according to the release.

When pressed about the hoax by IG investigators in an October 2021 interview, Fulsom insisted that the man whom she claimed to be the father of her child, one Bran Otmembebwe, really existed. She resigned from her position following their questioning.

The statement further reveals that Folsom told the agency she had given birth in July 2020 and became pregnant again in August 2021. The IG found no official documents of Folsom having given birth, nor did her insurance records contain any information about pregnancies or deliveries. 

“All state employees, and especially those that communicate with the media and general public on behalf of their agency, should be held to the highest standards of integrity and honesty,” IG Scott McAfee said in the statement. “OIG will continue to hold state employees accountable if they choose to deceive their superiors and receive undeserved compensation.”

A local grand jury indicted Folsom on three counts of making false statements and one count of identity fraud this week, according to a release from Georgia State Attorney General Chris Carr.

“Fraud by state employees will not be tolerated,” Carr said. “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.”

The case is being prosecuted by the Attorney General’s office.  

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