Federal prosecutors alleged Monday that ex-Calumet Township Trustee Kim Robinson used $11,200 in township funds to pay her Gary rent.
Robinson, 57, pleaded guilty Monday in the U.S. District Court in Hammond to one count of wire fraud.
As part of the deal, she resigned Friday. If a judge accepts the plea deal, Robinson will serve one year of probation, have to repay $11,200, plus an $8,700 fine.
Her attorney Arlington Foley, Sr. declined comment.
In a statement she provided to the Post-Tribune Sunday, Robinson expressed her “deepest gratitude to each and every one” of her constituents for “the trust and support” they’d extended to her while she was in office. She didn’t give a reason for her resignation but said it was important to issue a statement as people “may begin to hear information related” to it.
“As I step away from this role, I remain hopeful for our township’s future. I am leaving the Township’s operating fund in the black with cash reserves of over $2 million in a rainy-day fund. Additionally, I have every confidence in the leadership that will follow me, and I wholeheartedly support the process of selecting a new trustee who will continue our mission of progress and community service.”
A sentencing hearing before U.S. District Judge Gretchen Lund will be scheduled later.
Court documents in the case allege Robinson filled out applications for rental assistance for “Individual A,” saying they had no income. In reality, the person didn’t live there, and had no knowledge of her actions, prosecutors alleged.
The Township Trustee’s Office approved fraudulent monthly vouchers for $800. Robinson personally used the vouchers from April 2020 to May 2021 to pay rent at her Gary address, which court records do not list. Robinson lived there since 2018, paying rent to “Landlord A,” documents show.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Phillip Benson and Kevin Wolff are assigned.
Robinson becomes the third consecutive Calumet Township Trustee to face federal charges.
Robinson was elected in 2014 after defeating incumbent Trustee Mary Elgin in the primary amid the shadow of an FBI and IRS probe of the office. She previously served as a former Gary City Probation officer, Gary Councilwoman for the city’s 5th District from 2008 to 2014, and the Lake County Treasurer’s Office.
In December 2014, Elgin and her co-defendants — Elgin’s son, Steven Hunter, and former Calumet Township employees Ethel Shelton and Alex Wheeler — were indicted, alleging the four committed conspiracy to defraud; wire fraud; conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud; honest service wire fraud; and conspiracy to commit extortion. Prosecutors said they used township employees and offices to run political campaigns and raise money for Elgin’s fundraisers.
Elgin was sentenced in 2018 to a year and a day in prison, followed by one year of supervised release. She was also ordered to pay $15,000 in restitution to the trustee’s office and $6,311 to the IRS.
In 2007, Dozier Allen, who served as trustee for 32 years, was indicted — five years after he lost to Elgin — on charges that he and three employees steered $120,000 of grant money meant for the township to themselves. A jury found him guilty in April 2009, and he was sentenced to 18 months in prison.
Robinson’s mother, Wanda Joshua, served as Allen’s top deputy and was also sentenced in that case. Joshua, who received a 15-month sentence, was defended by former Gary Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson.
Michelle L. Quinn is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
