State Senator Katrina Robinson from Memphis faces fresh criminal charges related to a for-profit business she founded.
Federal prosecutors say the Democratic lawmaker, along with two others, defrauded an unidentified individual out of tuition expenses in 2017 at the Healthcare Institute, the training school offering courses in nursing and phlebotomy that Robinson established in 2015.
The new allegations, unveiled Tuesday, come as Robinson awaits trial for different charges filed last year that she misused more than $600,000 in federal grant money intended for the institute. She’s accused of instead spending the money on personal expenses including to pay for her wedding.
The FBI says while investigating the case last year, they uncovered a separate scheme where Robinson and two co-defendants convinced a man to pay almost $15,000 in tuition for one of them to attend the Healthcare Institute. But the co-defendant never intended to nor did she enroll in classes, the complaint alleges. Instead, it says that Robinson issued a refund for the tuition to the co-defendant, and the trio pocketed the money.
The complaint contains a string of text messages between them where they allegedly plot the scheme.
Robinson was recently selected to serve as secretary for the Tennessee General Assembly's Black Caucus. The legislature is currently in session.
In a statement released to the media, the law firm representing Robinson maintained her innocence and denied any wrongdoing on her part.
“We ask that the public be mindful that the government has been able to present their version of the events in court filings while Ms. Robinson is not able to do so,” the statement reads. “Ms. Robinson looks forward to presenting the facts to a jury of her peers and is confident that she will be found not guilty.”
Robinson was elected to the state Senate in 2018, and her term ends in 2022.