Glamorous Atlanta prosecutor jailed for stealing $15 million in Covid funds and using the money to buy diamond rings and a Rolls Royce

The former Atlanta deputy city attorney, who was also a life advice podcaster, was jailed for seven years after fraudulently obtaining approximately $15 million in COVID relief loans.

Shelitha Robertson, 62, used the illegally earned funds to buy luxury goods such as a 10-carat diamond ring, a Rolls Royce and a motorbike.

The former policeman had obtained the money under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), a federal stimulus program implemented during the pandemic.

But just weeks before his imprisonment, Robertson was still happily appearing on his daughter’s “Mommy & Me” podcast in which the pair would set the world right — including advising listeners on how to make money through a solid and hard work.

But Robertson didn’t follow her own advice and instead decided to print her own money, submitted one loan application after another, cheating a COVID relief program she needed to fund four businesses she claimed possess.

In reality, the loan applications were completely bogus and filled with numbers suggesting she employed more than 400 people — and that she was entitled to millions of dollars in assistance for each of the businesses she claimed to run.

Court documents show that Robertson was responsible for paying 427 employees, when in reality there were none.

This meant that Robertson was able to fraudulently obtain huge PPP loans that would not have been the case otherwise.

The money was, of course, intended for legitimate businesses that needed it to survive the pandemic.

Robertson and his co-conspirator, Chandra Norton, had no qualms about abusing such a scheme and subsequently submitted false tax documents to support the exaggerated statements contained in each loan application.

Robertson used the loan proceeds to purchase luxury items, including a 10-carat diamond ring reportedly worth at least $150,000, as well as luxury vehicles, including the Rolls.

The DOJ also said she transferred funds to a co-conspirator, Chandra Norton, and other family members.

A jury found Robertson guilty of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering, with the judge sentencing her to seven years and three months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.

Robertson will be almost 70 by the time she leaves prison, leaving behind her influential daughter Brii Renee, who has more than 600,000 followers on Instagram.

The two co-host a podcast together called “Mommy and Me” in which they discuss “overcoming life’s challenges,” according to an Apple Podcasts preview.

In an October episode of the podcast, Robertson was asked if she would choose integrity over poverty.

“I choose integrity and all that brings. I don’t choose to sell your soul to the devil. Because that would mean that I am ready to degrade myself for the love of what? Of a dollar.

“How my children perceive me and respect me means way more to me than making a quick dollar for being something I’m not,” Robertson said, just weeks before she was taken to prison.

“I’m completely broke,” Robertson told the court before his sentencing.

“My business is gone. My (legal) license has disappeared. My assets are gone. The only thing I have left is my family and my faith in God.

She said she was deeply sorry for the impact his conduct had on his family, his wife and his community.

“I’m not that person who tries to take advantage of anyone or any situation,” she said. “I admitted what I did.”

U.S. District Judge Steven D. Grimberg said the $14 million loss was staggering.

“It was his level of management and his confidence in his ability to commit this level of fraud without detection that set him off in the first place,” Grimberg said in court.

“Motivated by greed, Robertson deceptively obtained funds intended to provide emergency financial assistance to struggling small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said United States Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. ‘

“It was his level of management and his confidence in his ability to commit this level of fraud without detection that set him off in the first place,” Grimberg said in court.

“Motivated by greed, Robertson deceptively obtained funds intended to provide emergency financial assistance to struggling small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said United States Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. ‘

“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 himself, while small businesses were struggling during the pandemic,” added Kyle Myles, Special Agent in Charge of the FDIC.

“The Office of the FDIC Inspector General remains committed to working with our law enforcement partners to pursue and bring to justice those who have taken advantage of these pandemic relief programs and threatened the integrity of financial institutions in our country.”