A former Atlanta city attorney, Shelitha Robertson, 62, has been sentenced to seven years in prison for her role in a massive $15 million pandemic loan fraud scheme. Records indicate that she donated $1,000 to Fani Willis’s Democratic primary election campaign around the same time she was receiving substantial payouts from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).
Federal prosecutors allege that Robertson misappropriated funds for lavish purchases, including a 10-carat diamond ring and a Rolls Royce. Her donation to Willis coincided with her fraudulent applications for government handouts.
Willis, who charged former President Donald Trump with racketeering following a 13-count indictment related to the 2020 election in Georgia, is currently facing her own legal challenges. Trump, one of 19 individuals indicted in the case, has pleaded not guilty and denies any wrongdoing. The prosecution’s status has been complicated by allegations surrounding Willis’s personal life, including an affair with another prosecutor, Nathan Wade. A judge ruled that this relationship did not constitute a conflict of interest, but the Georgia Court of Appeals has delayed the trial pending further review.
Robertson, a Democrat who ran unsuccessfully for Circuit Court judge in Fulton County in 2010 and 2014, made her donation to Willis in May 2020. Following this, Willis won a hard-fought Democratic primary against longtime district attorney Paul Howard.
According to prosecutors, from April to May 2020, Robertson fraudulently applied for millions in government loans for four businesses she owned. The applications inflated employee counts and payroll amounts, resulting in larger PPP loans than she was entitled to receive. She also submitted fake tax documents to support her claims.
On December 19, 2023, a jury convicted Robertson of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering. On Friday, she was sentenced to seven years and three months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Robertson reportedly broke down in tears during her sentencing, having claimed in court that she was “dead broke.”
