State Senator Katrina Robinson (D-TN), who represents the 33rd District in Shelby County, has been indicted for theft and embezzlement in a scheme that involved misappropriation of funds from government programs and wire fraud. Robinson was charged in a federal criminal complaint that was unsealed on July 29. A federal grand jury in Memphis returned a 48-count indictment against her. D. Michael Dunavant, U.S. Attorney announced today that Robinson was being charged with 24 counts each of theft and embezzlement involving government programs and wire fraud.
The FBI originally raided her home in February in conjunction with the investigation which led to her arrest.
According to the indictment, Katrina Robinson acted as director for an educational center for health care jobs training. The center, known as The Healthcare Institute (THI), received over $2.2 million in federal grants from the Health Resources and Service Administration between 2015 and 2019. Robinson is accused of having embezzled some $600,000 from THI by compensating herself in excess of payments allowed under the terms of the federal grants. Some of the funds were used to pay for personal expenses, payments and purchases and for herself and for the benefit of her family members.
Some of the purchases included a car for her daughter, clothing, hair and beauty products and services, accessories, wedding and honeymoon expenses, legal fees for her divorce, credit card payments, home improvements, an event related to her senate election campaign, investments in an aesthetics spa she owned and a snow cone business owned by her children.
If convicted, Robinson could face 20 years in prison, and a fine of up to $250,000, and 3 years supervised release. Robinson maintains she is innocent of all charges.
