Shelitha Robertson, a 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 62-year-old, who also had a life advice podcast, used the illegally acquired funds to purchase luxury items, including a 10-carat diamond ring, a Rolls Royce and a motorbike.
Surprisingly, just weeks before her sentencing, Robertson appeared on her daughter’s “Mommy & Me” podcast, where she discussed 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. Because that would mean I am willing to belittle myself and degrade myself for the love of what? Of a dollar,” Robertson said during the podcast, despite knowing that the Department of Justice was already investigating her.
However, Robertson’s actions proved contradictory to 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, she transferred some of the funds to family members and her co-conspirator, Chandra Norton.
Special Agent in Charge Mark H. Morini, Jr. from the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration stated, “We will aggressively pursue individuals who commit fraud against the American taxpayer by making false claims to obtain Paycheck Protection Program loans intended for legitimate businesses who needed it to survive the pandemic.”
