Former Atlanta City Attorney Sentenced to 7 Years in Prison for Stealing $15 Million in PPP Funds – 95.5 WSB

Lina Portman4 weeks ago

1 1 minute read

ATLANTA — Shelitha Robertson, 62, a former Atlanta deputy city attorney and Atlanta police officer, was sentenced to more than seven years in prison after stealing about $15 million in government loans from the scheme paycheck protection during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Robertson and other co-conspirators obtained the loans on behalf of four companies she owned and controlled, the Justice Department said in a news release Friday.

“The loan applications falsely inflated the number of employees and average monthly payroll for each of the four companies, resulting in PPP loans that were larger than what Robertson was legitimately entitled to obtain. Robertson and his co-conspirator, Chandra Norton, also submitted false tax documents to support the exaggerated statements on each loan application,” the DOJ said.

Robertson used the money she got from the loans to buy luxury items, including a 10-carat diamond ring. The DOJ said she also transferred some of the money to other family members and her co-conspirator, Chandra Norton.

“Motivated by greed, Robertson deceptively obtained funds intended to provide emergency financial assistance to struggling small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said United States Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute criminals who stole pandemic relief funds. »

Jury found Robertson guilty of conspiracy to commit wire fraudwire fraud and money laundering on December 19, 2023. The judge sentenced her to seven years and three months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.