MEMPHIS, Tenn. — UPDATE 1/12/2022 - A sentencing hearing set for Wednesday January 12, 2022, for State Sen. Katrina Robinson has been reset for March 3, 2022. She still faces sentencing on two remaining wire fraud charges.
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1/7/2022 - A federal judge has granted a motion of acquittal for two of the wire fraud charges State Sen. Katrina Robinson was convicted of in September 2021. A motion for acquittal for two other wire fraud charges was denied, as well as a motion for a new trial.
Judge Sheryl H. Lipman granted the acquittal motion in a ruling Thursday.
The charges alleged Robinson misused federal grant money awarded to a health care school she operated. Prosecutors accused her of using federal funds awarded to the school she founded in Memphis for personal expenses. In September, a judge acquitted Robinson on 15 of 20 counts. The jury convicted Robinson on four counts of wire fraud. She was found not guilty on a fifth count.
Robinson was originally set to be sentenced Wednesday, January 5, 2022, but that was moved to Wednesday, January 12. She still faces sentencing on the two remaining wire fraud charges.
Other case dismissed
In December 2021, Robinson entered into a pretrial diversion agreement with prosecutors on a second federal case involving conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering charges, according to court documents. As long as Robinson completes the 12-month diversion period by abiding by all conditions of the agreement, that case is dismissed.
St. Sen. Robinson's reaction
In a statement Friday, Robinson said: “For two years, I have endured this targeted attack from the federal government. In 2020, they showed up to my home with media in tow to conduct a search as well as raiding my businesses. The DOJ blasted to national media news of a 48-count indictment with false and inflammatory allegations that I stole $600K in federal grant funds. Today, we are questioning an amount of $3484.06 that has been interpreted as a crime to defraud my own business - a single member LLC in 2016. The $3484.06 was NOT spent from federal funds and was not allocated to the grant in any accounting. The amount in question was ultimately paid for from personal funds.”
“I am grateful that her honor reviewed the trial proceedings and partially granted our motion acquitting me of the two wire fraud charges stemming from data entry reports that were completed by former employees of my corporation. However, my legal team is still reviewing the order from the court in order to make decisions on our next steps, as we intend to continue to fight this case. Had we not contested the government's actions and theory at every turn, I would have been punished for even more crimes that I absolutely did not commit. The judge's order illustrates the government overreach in charging multiple crimes I did not commit. If I had committed a crime or even intended to commit a crime, I would have taken accepted my punishment.”
“However, if the FBI raided any small business, seized every file and document in the way that they did mine utilizing countless manpower and hours of scrutiny by their agents, they would be able to misconstrue any document or file in order to charge innocent business owners with a crime based on their interpretation of how that business should run. This is frightening to think, but is essentially what has happened in this case - unjustly crippling my business, my personal and professional endeavors, and my family over the last two years. This is still an active process. I intend to continue the fight in pursuit of justice and exhaust all options to do so in this case until my name is cleared.”