scapegoat

Short definition from Wiktionary

Noun

1. 1
   In the Mosaic Day of Atonement ritual, a goat symbolically imbued with the sins of the people, and sent out alive into the wilderness while another was sacrificed.
2. 2
   Someone unfairly blamed or punished for some failure.

Verb

1. 1
   To unfairly blame or punish someone for some failure; to make a scapegoat of.