Former Tennessee State Senator Resentenced and an Additional Fine Imposed

Memphis, TN - A federal judge recently resentenced former Tennessee State Senator Katrina Robinson, 43, of Memphis, Tennessee to time served and imposed a fine in the amount of $48,600 for misrepresentations made to the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). Acting United States Attorney Reagan Fondren announced the new sentence today.

According to the information presented in court, Robinson was the founder and director of The Healthcare Institute (THI), a for-profit provider of educational and training programs for jobs in the healthcare field. Between 2015 and 2019, THI received over $2.2 million in federal grants from HRSA, an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services.

In 2021, a jury found Robinson guilty of two counts of wire fraud in connection with transfers that she made from THI's operating account for personal expenditures for her wedding. The jury also found Robinson guilty of two counts of wire fraud for fraudulent misrepresentations made by Robinson to HRSA when completing Annual Performance Review forms for years 2017-2018 (Count 19) and 2018-2019 (Count 20). With respect to Count 19, the government presented evidence that Robinson reported to HRSA that 215 students had received scholarships in 2017-2018, but an investigation had confirmed that only 161 of those students actually received scholarships.

The district court granted Robinson's post-verdict motion for judgment of acquittal as to the wire fraud counts that involved fraudulent misrepresentations to HRSA, setting aside the jury's verdict on Counts 19 and 20. The United States appealed the district's court's acquittal on Count 19 to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. The appellate court reversed the district court's grant of acquittal and reinstated the jury's verdict with respect to Count 19. It held that the evidence at trial showed that Robinson made material misrepresentations to HRSA in 2017-2018 with the intent to deprive HRSA of grant funds and to induce HRSA to continue funding Robinson's organization.

Upon remand, Chief United States District Judge Sheryl H. Lipman resentenced Robinson to time served and assessed Robinson a fine of $48,600 for the misrepresentations she made to HRSA in 2017-2018.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Department of Health and Human Services - Office of the Inspector General.

Acting U.S. Attorney Reagan Fondren thanked Assistant United States Attorneys Chris Cotten, Scott Smith, and Raney Irwin, who prosecuted this case in the district court, and Naya Bedini, who prosecuted this case on appeal with AUSA Cotten, as well as the law enforcement partners who investigated the case.

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