BLM Leader Indicted on 25 Federal Counts of Fraud, Money Laundering
The longtime executive director of Black Lives Matter Oklahoma is facing sweeping federal charges after prosecutors accused her of siphoning millions in charitable donations intended for bail funds and social justice initiatives to bankroll a lavish personal lifestyle.
According to a newly unsealed federal indictment, a grand jury charged Tashella Sheri Amore Dickerson, 52, on Dec. 3 with 20 counts of wire fraud and five counts of money laundering stemming from what authorities describe as a years-long embezzlement scheme.
“For each count of wire fraud, Dickerson faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000,” the Department of Justice said in a statement. “For each count of money laundering, Dickerson faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the amount of the criminally derived property involved in the transaction.”
Federal prosecutors allege Dickerson diverted more than $3.5 million from accounts connected to Black Lives Matter Oklahoma (BLMOKC) into her personal bank accounts. The indictment claims the stolen funds were spent on international vacations to Jamaica and the Dominican Republic, six properties in Oklahoma City, tens of thousands of dollars in luxury shopping, and more than $50,000 on food and grocery deliveries for herself and her family.
“Beginning in June 2020 and continuing through at least October 2025, Dickerson embezzled funds from BLMOKC’s accounts for her personal benefit,” the indictment states. “Dickerson deposited at least $3.15 million in returned bail checks into her personal accounts, rather than into BLMOKC’s accounts.”
The case represents one of the most significant fraud prosecutions to emerge from the Black Lives Matter movement following the 2020 riots and protests triggered by the death of George Floyd, a period during which BLM organizations and affiliates raised hundreds of millions of dollars nationwide.
According to prosecutors, BLMOKC took in more than $5.6 million from online donors and national bail funds during the 2020 unrest. Much of that money came from the Community Justice Exchange, the Minnesota Freedom Fund, and the Massachusetts Bail Fund and was earmarked to bail out protesters and support so-called “racial justice” initiatives.
The indictment notes that although BLMOKC was not itself a registered nonprofit, it raised money under the fiscal sponsorship of the Alliance for Global Justice (AFGJ), an Arizona-based left-wing nonprofit organization. Under that arrangement, AFGJ required the funds to be used strictly for charitable purposes allowed under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and demanded full financial transparency.
Instead, prosecutors say Dickerson concealed her actions.
She allegedly “used interstate wire communications to submit two false annual reports to AFGJ” designed to hide her personal use of the funds.
“She reported that she had used BLMOKC funds only for tax-exempt purposes,” the indictment reads. “She did not disclose that she used funds for her personal benefit.”
Federal agents say Dickerson funneled more than $3 million in returned bail checks into her own accounts and used the money to finance an upscale lifestyle that included overseas travel, designer shopping sprees, more than $50,000 in restaurant and grocery delivery expenses, the purchase of a personal vehicle, and six Oklahoma City real estate properties. Some of those properties were registered under Equity International, LLC, a shell company prosecutors say she controlled.
The indictment lays out a pattern of deception in which Dickerson repeatedly misled donors and AFGJ about how BLMOKC funds were being spent.
“Although BLMOKC was supposed to use national bail fund grants to post pretrial bail for individuals arrested in connection with protests for racial justice after the death of George Floyd,” prosecutors wrote, “Dickerson used those funds for personal enrichment.”
If convicted on all counts, Dickerson could face decades in federal prison. U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester announced the charges Wednesday, saying the case “reflects a commitment to holding accountable anyone who exploits the public’s trust for personal gain — regardless of their politics or position.”
The prosecution adds to a growing list of corruption scandals involving Black Lives Matter organizations at both the local and national level, reinforcing long-standing concerns about transparency, accountability, and the use of donor funds within the movement.