In a recent turn of events, former Tennessee State Senator Katrina Robinson has been resentenced following the reinstatement of a previously overturned conviction. The Memphis-based politician, aged 43, was initially found guilty on charges of wire fraud connected to misused federal grant money. In a judgement delivered by Chief United States District Judge Sheryl H. Lipman, Robinson was sentenced to time served and required to pay a hefty fine of $48,600.
The fine pertains specifically to Robinson's misrepresentations made to the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), according to details reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Tennessee. These misrepresentations were part of an effort to continually to secure federal funding for The Healthcare Institute (THI), a for-profit college founded and directed by Robinson, which received over $2.2 million in HRSA grants between 2015 and 2019.
Raised concerns were echoed by the 2021 jury findings that Robinson had transferred funds from THI's operating account to cover personal expenses, including her wedding. However, more grave was the fabrication on Annual Performance Review forms for the years 2017 and 2018. The government provided evidence that although 215 students were reported as scholarship recipients in the 2017-2018 cycle, in truth, only 161 had received such scholarships.
This discrepancy was initially dismissed by the district court, leading to an acquittal on the related fraud counts. Nonetheless, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit later saw fit to reverse this decision and uphold the initial guilty verdict as per Count 19. Acting U.S. Attorney Reagan Fondren stated that the appellate court decided Robinson had indeed made material misrepresentations "with the intent to deprive HRSA of grant funds and to induce HRSA to continue funding Robinson's organization."
The investigation leading up to Robinson’s sentencing was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – Office of the Inspector General. Praise was extended by Acting U.S. Attorney Fondren towards Assistant United States Attorneys Chris Cotten, Scott Smith, Raney Irwin, who prosecuted the district court case, along with Naya Bedini, who handled the appeal alongside AUSA Cotten, plus the law enforcement partners involved in the investigative process.
