A former Atlanta attorney was convicted Tuesday of misusing nearly $8 million in federal pandemic funds.
Prosecutors say Shelitha Robertson defrauded the federal government out of nearly $8 million in PPP funds. She is accused of spending part of the cash on a Rolls-Royce, a motorcycle, and a 10-carat diamond ring worth $148,000.
A jury found Robertson guilty on multiple counts of wire fraud, money laundering and conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
She was immediately remanded into custody until her sentencing hearing on April 11, 2024.
Robertson was employed by the city as a police officer and later as an attorney, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She also ran an unsuccessful campaign for Fulton County Superior Court judge in 2014.
Robertson blamed the PPP applications on former friend and personal attorney, Chandra Norton, who pled guilty to federal charges in 2020.
Robertson and Norton applied for millions of dollars through the federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) that was set up to help small businesses survive the pandemic lockdowns.
Robertson and Norton are accused of submitting nearly a dozen “false and fraudulent” applications for PPP loans.
At least five of the applications were approved in April and May 2022 for more than $7.8 million.
Norton pled guilty to a single count of federal wire fraud conspiracy in August 2022. Her sentencing hearing is set for January 2024
Robertson and Norton have both been disbarred.
