Former city attorney, police officer found guilty of spending PPP funds on Rolls Royce, jewelry

ATLANTA — A federal jury found a former City of Atlanta attorney and police officer guilty of defrauding millions from the Paycheck Protection Program.

Court documents show that Shelitha Robertson was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, three counts of wire fraud and one count of money laundering.

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Robertson is the second defendant to be convicted as part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s investigation into a PPP fraud conspiracy. PPP is a federal stimulus program authorized for COVID-19 relief.

DOJ said Robertson and her co-conspirators submitted fraudulent PPP loan applications for companies they owned and controlled.

Prosecutors said that Robertson and her companies lied about the number of employees on their payroll and received over $7 million in loans.

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Robertson then used the funds to purchase a Rolls-Royce, motorcycle and luxury jewelry, including a 10K diamond ring, according to the DOJ. Prosecutors also alleged that Robertson transferred some of the funds to family members.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that it took the jury 13 hours over two days to find Robertson guilty.

Robertson’s sentencing is scheduled for April 11, 2024, and she faces up to 20 years in prison for each wire fraud count and up to 10 years for the money laundering count.

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