Former Attorney Sentenced 7 Years For Stealing $15M In PPP

by Cedric ‘BIG CED’ Thornton

June 9, 2024

Shelitha Robertson was convicted in December.

A judge sentenced former Atlanta Assistant City Attorney Shelitha Robertson to seven years and three months in prison for stealing approximately $15 million in loans from the government-assisted Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia announced Robertson’s punishment after her Dec. 19, 2023, conviction. A jury convicted her of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, three counts of wire fraud, and one count of money laundering. U.S. District Judge Steven D. Grimberg also sentenced her to three years of supervised release following her prison term.

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

Robertson used the money she received to buy luxury items, including a 10-carat diamond ring. She and her co-conspirator, Chandra Norton, submitted false tax documents to support the false statements for each of the four companies listed on the application. Robertson used the loan proceeds to purchase luxury items, including a 10-carat diamond ring. She also transferred funds to Norton and family members.

“I’m dead broke. My business is gone. My (law) license is gone. My assets are gone. The only thing I have left is my family and my faith in God,” she said in court hours before learning her sentence, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Robertson will serve the sentence minus the six months she has already spent in custody since her December conviction.

PPP was a federal stimulus program authorized as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

Authorities have seized over $78 million in cash proceeds from more than 192 fraud defendants in over 121 criminal cases involving fraudulently obtained PPP funds. Numerous real estate properties and luxury items purchased with these funds were also confiscated.

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