Former DeKalb County Superior Court candidate Michael Rothenberg pleaded guilty Wednesday to diverting more than $1.35 million in investment money for his campaign and his own personal use.
Rothenberg, 35, faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Rothenberg used an elaborate scheme to get the owners of WinterHawk Energy and Development Corporation, also known as WinterHawk, to invest $1.35 million into a trust account he controlled.
Rothenberg promised that the account would build interest and involved no risk, officials said.
Over time, Rothenberg sent WinterHawk fabricated bank statements all while spending the money on his 2012 campaign to become a DeKalb County Superior Court judge, prosecutors said. He ultimately lost that election.
“Investment fraud schemes often have at their core individuals who appear very credible,” Mark F. Giuliano, a spokesman for the Atlanta FBI Office, said in a statement. “These schemes often end with those individuals being revealed as greedy and uncompassionate for those devastated investors whose trust they betrayed. Today’s guilty plea will ensure that Mr. Rothenberg will be held accountable for his criminal actions.”
Rothenberg is expected to be sentenced in November.
About the Author
