Former Tennessee State Senator, Katrina Robinson, was found guilty on four out of five charges of wire fraud last month. The conviction comes after Robinson was surprisingly acquitted by a judge on 15 of 20 charges of theft and embezzlement. “The total of the original charges claimed she embezzled more than $600,000, but after the majority of charges were acquitted, the total was about $3,400,” reports the Associated Press.
Robinson had been redirecting funds awarded to The Healthcare Institute, a school she operated in Memphis, that provides training for students entering the healthcare field. According to the Associated Press, “the school received more than $2.2 million in federal grants from the Health Resources and Services Administration, an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The federal grant money was earmarked for student scholarships from 2015 through 2019.”
Robinson, who has not yet confirmed whether she will be stepping down from her position, was convicted for the wire fraud charges after a federal jury found she had siphoned federal grant money to cover personal expenses including her wedding, a new car for her daughter and a political campaign event amongst other costs. “Her defense attorneys also said they felt federal prosecutors failed to show evidence she wrongfully took money from the business and noted they intend to appeal the case, reports the Tennessee Lookout.
Wire fraud is a Class C felony that is punishable by up to twenty years in prison, three years of supervised release, and $250,000 in fines, complete restitution and confiscation of property obtained from the proceeds of the offense. Robinson’s sentencing is set for January 2022, so we will continue to monitor the case.
