A Georgia woman who spent years siphoning funds from a local law office to bankroll a lavish lifestyle of cruises and concerts will now spend the next two years behind bars.
On February 13, 2026, Chief Judge R. Stan Baker sentenced 55-year-old Robin Stell to 24 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. The sentencing follows Stell’s guilty plea to a single count of wire fraud, a charge stemming from a systematic scheme that drained nearly $180,000 from her employer.
Stell’s downfall began in August 2025, when U.S. Attorney Margaret E. Heap’s office first brought the charges. According to evidence presented in court, Stell served as the office manager for the unnamed law firm between 2021 and 2024.
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During that four-year window, she treated the company credit cards as her own personal bank account. Court documents reveal a pattern of unauthorized spending that ranged from mundane Amazon hauls to high-end luxury experiences, including vacation packages and tickets to live performances.
During the proceedings, U.S. Attorney Heap emphasized the damage caused when internal employees weaponize their positions for gain. She noted that Stell didn’t just steal money; she eroded the trust essential to the legal profession.
“This defendant abused the trust placed in her by a local law firm and its clients and betrayed that trust for her own personal benefit,” Heap stated, adding that such crimes ripple outward, damaging public confidence in the integrity of legal institutions.
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The investigation, spearheaded by the FBI’s Savannah Resident Agency, uncovered a paper trail of fraud totaling exactly $178,892.20.
As part of her sentence, Stell has been ordered to pay the full amount back in restitution. Brad Snider, a Supervisory Senior Special Agent with the FBI, reiterated that the agency remains focused on “rooting out” financial fraud, especially when it involves company insiders who believe they can hide their tracks from within.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Darron J. Hubbard, marking the end of a multi-year breach of trust that turned a standard office management role into a federal criminal investigation.
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