ATL Standard

A former Fulton County Superior Court Judge candidate was convicted of fraudulently obtaining more than $7 million worth of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, using the funds to purchase luxury items, including a 10-carat diamond ring.

A federal jury in the Northern District of Georgia convicted Shelitha Robertson, 62, of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, three counts of wire fraud, and one count of money laundering. 

Robertson was an Atlanta Police Officer for ten years and worked as an assistant city attorney for the City of Atlanta.

PPP was a program created to help businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Court documents show that Robertson submitted PPP loan applications on behalf of four of her own businesses. Those applications allegedly inflated the number of employees and average monthly payroll for the businesses, which led to larger loans for Robertson.

Robertson used the loan proceeds to purchase luxury items, including the diamond ring, and to transfer funds to family members and her co-conspirator, Chandra Nelson, said the U.S. Department of Justice. She had blamed the fraudulent loan applications on Nelson, Robertson's former attorney who pleaded guilty in a separate prosecution.

A frequent Democrat political candidate, Robertson most recently lost in the special election for Georgia’s 55th State House District. 

She also ran in 2014 for Fulton County Superior Court Judge, losing to Jane Barwick by a vote of 63 percent to 37 percent. Robertson also ran unsuccessfully for the seat in 2010, and lost a bid for Atlanta City Council in 2009.