by WorldTribune Staff / 247 Real News June 12, 2024
An Atlanta prosecutor who once said on a podcast that she would never degrade herself "for a dolla" was sentenced to seven years and three months in prison on Friday for stealing $15 million in Covid relief funds.
Shelitha Robertson, the former assistant city attorney of Atlanta, used the stolen funds to buy a Rolls Royce, a 10-carat diamond ring, and a motorbike, among other luxuries, prosecutors in the case said.
Robertson, 62, submitted a false loan application claiming she needed the Covid relief funds for her four businesses.
She also transferred funds to family members.
Robertson also donated $1,000 to Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis's Democrat primary election campaign around the time she got the massive payouts.
"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.
While appearing on her daughter's podcast, Robertson talked about integrity:
"I choose integrity and whatever else it brings. I don't choose selling your soul. Because that would mean I am willing to belittle myself and degrade myself for the love of what? Of a dolla," she said. "How my kids view me and respect me means more to me than earning a quick dollar for me to be something that I'm not."
Robertson's request for the Covid funds was granted, even as she erroneously claimed she presided over a workforce of more than 400, meaning she was entitled to millions in emergency handouts.
In reality, she was falsely inflating those numbers and monthly payrolls with false supporting tax documentation, prosecutors said at her sentencing on Friday.
"Today the defendant in this case was held accountable for fraudulently obtaining millions of dollars through the Paycheck Protection Program and using those stolen funds to enrich herself, while small businesses were struggling," said Kyle A. Myles, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Office of Inspector General, Atlanta Region.
Robertson was given credit for the six months she has spent in custody. After serving her sentence, Robertson also will be on probation for 44 months.
Robertson served as assistant city attorney for the city of Atlanta in the early 2000s, after working as a police officer for more than decade.
She also had several businesses, among them being her influencer daughter's podcast "Mommy and Me," in which the pair discussed "navigating life's challenges" and provided advice.
In one segment from October 2023 ironically billed as "integrity over dollars," Robertson advised followers to "chase their dream" because "money will come. When you have a passion for something that you love, you can do it for free. Don't ever chase the money. The money will come. Chase your passion, Chase your dream. The money will come."
