Shelitha Robertson, a 62-year-old former assistant city attorney of Atlanta, has been sentenced to seven years in prison for fraudulently obtaining approximately $15 million in COVID relief loans through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). The stimulus program was designed to assist struggling businesses during the pandemic, but Robertson used the illegally acquired funds to purchase luxury items, including a 10-carat diamond ring, a Rolls Royce and a motorbike.
Ironically, just weeks before her sentencing, Robertson appeared on her daughter’s “Mommy & Me” podcast, where she emphasized the importance of working hard with integrity. “I choose integrity and whatever else it brings. I don’t choose selling your soul to the devil,” she stated during the podcast.
However, Robertson’s actions contradicted her own advice. She submitted multiple false loan applications during the COVID era, claiming she needed funds to support the four businesses she owned. Additionally, Robertson transferred some of the funds to family members and her co-conspirator, Chandra Norton.
U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan condemned Robertson’s actions, stating, “Motivated by greed, Robertson deceptively obtained funds that were designated to provide emergency financial relief to struggling small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.” The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia vowed to continue working with law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute individuals who stole pandemic relief funds.
