Former Atlanta Deputy City Attorney Sentenced to Prison for PPP Fraud | Georgia

(The Center Square) — A federal judge has sentenced a former Atlanta deputy city attorney to prison following her conviction on charges in which she fraudulently applied for and obtained Check Protection Program loans. pay.

In December, a jury found Shelitha Robertson, 62, of Atlanta, guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, one count of money laundering and three counts of wire fraud. U.S. District Judge Steven D. Grimberg sentenced Robertson to seven years and three months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.

According to the federal government, Robertson, a former assistant city attorney and Atlanta police officer, and his co-conspirators submitted PPP loan applications for four of his businesses. The requests inflated details about companies’ average monthly payroll and the number of people they employed, leading to PPP loans that were larger than what Robertson was eligible for, federal authorities said.

Robertson and a co-conspirator, identified in a press release as Chandra Norton, also submitted false tax documents to support the exaggerated claims. Robertson wired funds to Norton and his family members and used the loans to buy luxury items, such as a 10-carat diamond ring, prosecutors said.

“Motivated by greed, Robertson deceptively obtained funds intended to provide emergency financial assistance to struggling small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic,” U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan said in a statement.

The New York Post, citing campaign documents, reported Robertson donated $1,000 to Fulton County Attorney Fani Willis’ Democratic primary campaign around the same time she received the PPP loans.