MEMPHIS, Tenn. — State senator Katrina Robinson is trying her best to put her legal troubles behind her, and it appears to be working – to a point.
Late last week, Robinson and two codefendants accepted plea deals involving charges of conspiring to commit wire fraud and money laundering. The deal means they will enter a 12-month supervised diversion program that will allow them to avoid further prosecution.
That’s good news for Robinson, but a separate criminal conviction for fraud still hangs over her head. And she faces a sentencing date in January.
The point is, for all of the hoopla that was created when Robinson first came under investigation – and was later indicted – the federal cases against her are ending in a whimper. Authorities initially accused her in a 48-count indictment of misusing more $600,000 in federal grand money that went to her for-profit nursing school, the Healthcare Institute. But the jury convicted of four counts that amounts to just $3500 in misused funds. And yet Robinson is still a convicted felon who is possibly looking at time behind bars.
The question is, will she keep her seat in the state senate? Obviously, if her petition for a new trial is rejected, the answer is no. And Robinson has indicated she will step down at that time, as well she should. Because voters deserve honesty from the people we elect to serve.