A Tennessee state senator has been accused of stealing more than $ 600,000 in federal grant funds to pay for various expenses, including campaign events, as well as her wedding, honeymoon, and subsequent divorce, according to reports.
Katrina Robinson faces charges of theft and embezzlement, The New York Times reported. The money was intended to finance a nurse training program at a vocational school that Robinson runs, but she allegedly diverted it to increase her salary.
In a photo provided by the Tennessee State Senate, Tennessee State Senator Katrina Robinson poses for a photo in Nashville, Tennessee, an unknown date. Robinson has been accused of stealing more than $ 600,000 federal funds received by a health care company she ran and using the money to pay for her wedding and other personal expenses, federal prosecutors said July 29.
(Tennessee State Senate via AP)
“Protecting the US Treasury and federal grant programs against theft, fraud, waste and abuse is a top priority for this office and for the Department of Justice,” D said in a statement. Michael Dunavant, the US attorney for the Western District of Tennessee statement on Wednesday. “We commend the FBI and HHS-OIG for their diligent and thorough investigation in this case.”
The case is expected to occur before a grand jury, the prosecution told the Times. If convicted, Robinson faces a possible sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison.
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Robinson started the Healthcare Institute in 2015 as a for-profit university that provides training for those who want to be a certified nursing assistant, phlebotomist, or licensed practical nurse. According to a court affidavit, the Healthcare Institute received $ 2.2 million in federal grant funds from the Health Resources and Services Administration from 2015 to 2019.
An investigation into Robinson began in 2016 following an anonymous complaint to the Department of Health and Human Services, alleging that she used $ 550 of grant money to purchase a Louis Vuitton bag. The researchers found evidence suggesting that Robinson had given himself over $ 25,000 as a performance bonus and transferred $ 54,000 to a retirement fund.
The Healthcare Institute, a nursing school run by Tennessee State Senator Katrina Robinson in Memphis, Tennessee, is seen in a photo on February 21. A criminal complaint revealed on July 29 accuses State Senator Katrina Robinson of theft and embezzlement of funds involving government programs and wire fraud, US Attorney D. Michael Dunavant said in a press release.
Additional items listed in the complaint are the purchase of a 2016 Jeep Renegade, clothing, beauty products, home furnishings, and supplies and equipment for your children’s snow cone business, Kool Kidz Konez.
The FBI searched both the school and Robinson’s home in February, ABC News reported. Agents revisited Robinson’s home on Tuesday.
Robinson’s attorney Janika White said federal prosecutors were “overreaching” and that her client would be vindicated.
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“She is a fighter and has been here doing what we all want people to do: step up and serve others,” said White. “That is what she has been doing, and right now all she can do is stay on her record and hope that people allow the facts to unfold and that her story is told at the right time.”
