Atlanta lawyer Shelitha Robertson has been found guilty of fraud for misusing the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans. Robertson, who once worked in the city as a police officer, was found guilty of multiple counts of fraud on Dec. 19.
Federal prosecutors argued that Robinson committed fraud by utilizing the money received through the COVID-relief program to buy miscellaneous luxury items, including a Rolls-Royce, a motorcycle, and a 10-carat diamond ring. The ring was purchased for $148,000.
However, Robertson claimed that the fraudulent applications, which falsely listed the number of employees to secure more funds, were conspired by her ex-friend and personal lawyer, Chandra Norton. Norton was indicted in August 2020, agreeing to a plea deal that found her guilty of a single count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Additionally, she cooperated with the federal government, which led to the indictment of Robertson more than two years later.
“There’s no level to which [Robertson] wouldn’t stoop to justify her criminal conduct,” Malloy said in her closing argument over the trial. “She disguised what she did to avoid getting caught. She thought she could wash her hands of it all.”
During their alleged joint scheme, the two women were granted close to $8 million in unearned
funds, with prosecutors also claiming that Robertson threatened to kill her former partner in crime upon her arrest. To that offense, Robertson’s attorney, Craig A. Gillen, claims it was made out of frustration over the ordeal, with the lawyer also saying that the “hearsay” evidence has grounds for an appeal on the verdict.In the trial by jury, Robertson was found guilty on three counts of wire fraud and single counts of money laundering and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Since being tried for the charges in December 2022, Robertson was out on bond but was swiftly detained following the conviction. Her sentencing date has yet to be finalized.