U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia Ryan K. Buchanan said on Tuesday that a former Assistant Atlanta Attorney and an Atlanta police officer had been indicted on charges of cheating the Paycheck Protection Program.
Buchanan stated that former Atlanta Assistant City Attorney Shelitha Robertson, age 60, and others were charged in the indictment with conspiring to file bogus PPP loan applications on behalf of companies they owned and controlled.
The federal government created the PPP stimulus program as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act.
The indictment states that Robertson received over $7,000,000 in PPP loan funds through deception and then spent none of it on payroll or other legitimate business expenses.
In addition, Robertson is accused of buying a Rolls-Royce, a motorcycle, and some jewelry with the money, as stated by Buchanan.
According to him, she also gave some of the money to accomplices and family members.
Buchanan claimed that “Robertson misappropriated millions of dollars in taxpayer money” that was meant to help small businesses survive the outbreak.
Loans made available through the CARES Act were intended to support small companies during the pandemic, not to benefit the borrowers individually.
It is our firm commitment to pursue all leads and bring all perpetrators of fraud involving these essential monies to justice.
Money laundering, wire fraud, and conspiracy are the charges against Robertson. The officer’s name and the nature of his charges were kept under wraps.
Source: WSBTV.com
