Image Credit: Senator Katrina Robinson / Facebook & tn.gov
The Tennessee Conservative [By Adelia Kirchner] –
According to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), former Tennessee State Senator Katrina Robinson of Memphis, Tennessee, was recently resentenced for a previous wire fraud case and received additional fines for previous misrepresentations made to the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).
43-year-old Robinson was the Founder and Director of The Healthcare Institute (THI), a for-profit organization meant to provide training and education programs for healthcare related jobs.
The HRSA is a subsidiary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services which awards grants to educational and community groups, states, territories and tribes for the purposes of supporting health workers and healthcare facilities.
According to Fox13 News Memphis, THI was issued more than $2.2 million in federal grants from HRSA between the years of 2015-2019 according to the DOJ.
In fall of 2021, she was found guilty on two counts of wire fraud for making transfers from THI’s operating account to cover personal wedding expenses.
She was also found guilty on two counts for making fraudulent misrepresentations to the HRSA in the completion of 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 Annual Performance Reviews forms.
Evidence was provided regarding the 2017-2018 fraud, showing that Robinson reported 215 student scholarship recipients to the HRSA, when there were actually only 161 students who received scholarships that year according to the results of an investigation.
Following that verdict, Robinson made a motion for judgment of acquittal on the wire fraud counts.
Even though the acquittal was granted by the district court, that acquittal was reversed by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit which reinstituted the jury’s verdict.
This decision supported the jury’s finding that evidence provided at the trial showed Robinson had made misrepresentations to HRSA in those years in order to take grant funds and prompt HRSA to continue providing grant funds to THI.
In 2022, Robinson became the first Tennessee state senator in the Senate’s 266-year history to ever be expelled following her conviction.
On Tuesday, November 19th, U.S. Attorney Reagan Fondren announced Robinson’s resentencing.
Robinson was resentenced “to time served” and saddled with a $48,600 fine by Chief U.S. District Judge Sheryl H. Lipman, specifically for the misrepresentations she made to HRSA for 2017-2018.
About the Author: Adelia Kirchner is a Tennessee resident and reporter for the Tennessee Conservative. Currently the host of Subtle Rampage Podcast, she has also worked for the South Dakota State Legislature and interned for Senator Bill Hagerty’s Office in Nashville, Tennessee. You can reach Adelia at adelia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
One Response
Yup, Memphis dimmercrap. All criminal, idiot of both.