Following a three-day jury trial, Sue Lee Roberson of Granite Quarry was convicted by a jury this week in Rowan County Criminal Superior Court of two counts of felony obtaining property by false pretenses.

Judge Anna Mills Wagoner sentenced Roberson in each count to a minimum of five months to a maximum of 15 months suspended and Roberson was placed on supervised probation for five years.

Roberson was ordered to comply with the conditions of probation, including successfully completing community service and 90 days of house arrest, along with paying restitution in the amount of $33,978.97. Each count was ordered to run consecutively should Roberson’s probationary sentence be activated.

On or about December 2013, the victim met with Roberson about a performance bond that was needed by Pullin Media to film a show, “Heroes on the Edge.” Roberson advised the victim that she needed approximately $25,000 to proceed with the film and once the film was completed, the victim would receive her money back.

The victim provided Roberson $23,978.97. On or about March 2013, Roberson told the victim that she had provided $10,000 to another person in order to have the victim’s business approved as a vender with the Veteran’s Affairs hospital. The victim provided Roberson $10,000.

The Rowan County Sheriff’s Department determined that there was not a performance bond requested by Pullin Media and in fact, the company had not received any money from Roberson. The Sheriff’s Department also discovered that the Veteran’s Affairs hospital had not received $10,000 from Roberson.

District Attorney Brandy Cook said she “appreciated the dedication of Scott Harkey, a financial crimes prosecutor with the North Carolina Conference of District Attorneys, preparing the case for trial.” Cook praised the thorough investigation conducted by the Rowan County Sheriff’s Department.

Cook stated “financial crimes can be devastating to families that have fallen prey to these types of offenses. The Financial Crimes Initiative through the North Carolina Conference of District Attorneys has provided our office a valuable resource in the approach to fighting financial crimes.”