Atlanta attorney found guilty in $7M PPP loan fraud case. Shelitha Robertson used the funds to buy a Rolls-Royce, a motorcycle, and a 10-carat diamond ring for $148,000.
An Atlanta lawyer and business owner previously employed by the city as a police officer and attorney was found guilty Tuesday of defrauding the federal government out of more than $7 million in Paycheck Protection Program funds.
Prosecutors alleged Shelitha Robertson used the funds her businesses received to buy a Rolls-Royce car, a motorcycle, and a 10-carat diamond ring for $148,000, among other things.
Robertson had denied grossly exaggerating the number of people employed by four of her companies in order to obtain millions of dollars in federal aid designed to keep small businesses afloat during the coronavirus pandemic.
Shelitha Robertson has been charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering. She allegedly used the PPP funds to buy a Rolls-Royce, a motorcycle, jewelry and other items. She also allegedly sent some funds to family members and co-conspirators.
“[PPP] loans were designed to help sustain small businesses during the pandemic, not to serve as a source of personal enrichment,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “We will continue to vigorously investigate and prosecute anyone who fraudulently obtains these critical funds.”
Robertson, who has remained on bond since pleading not guilty to the five charges in December 2022, was immediately remanded into custody pending her sentencing, for which a date has yet to be set.
Federal prosecutor Ariel Glasner said Robertson had threatened to kill Norton upon arrest and separately threatened another person who subsequently filed a police report.
