DOJ Investigating BLM Leaders Over Alleged Fraud Involving $90 Million: Report
Federal prosecutors have opened a major criminal investigation into whether top leaders of the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation (BLMGNF) defrauded donors who poured more than $90 million into the organization following the death of George Floyd in 2020.
According to the Associated Press, the inquiry — spearheaded by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California — is examining how BLM’s leadership managed the flood of donations during the height of nationwide unrest. Investigators have reportedly issued subpoenas and executed at least one search warrant in recent weeks as part of the widening probe.
While the investigation began under the Biden administration, sources say it has gained renewed urgency under President Donald J. Trump’s Department of Justice, which has vowed to restore accountability and enforce transparency among powerful nonprofits. Prosecutors are reportedly revisiting long-standing questions about whether BLM’s leaders misrepresented how donations would be used — and whether they personally profited from funds meant for victims’ families and grassroots activism.
So far, no charges have been filed, but early findings raise serious concerns. Tax records reviewed by Fox News show that of the $90 million raised in 2020, only about one-third — roughly $30 million — was directed toward community initiatives or charitable grants. By contrast, $22 million went to “operating expenses,” including large insider payments.
Among the more controversial disbursements:
- $1.6 million paid to the father of BLM co-founder Patrisse Cullors for “security services.”
- $2.1 million to BLM board member Shalomyah Bowers for “consulting work.”
Cullors herself resigned in 2021 after reports emerged that she had purchased multiple luxury homes in Los Angeles and Georgia. She denied any misuse of donation funds, claiming the purchases were made with her own income — but critics weren’t convinced.
Even the families of those whose deaths ignited the movement accused BLM’s national leadership of betrayal. Breonna Taylor’s mother, Tamika Palmer, publicly called the organization a “fraud,” while Samaria Rice, mother of 12-year-old Tamir Rice, said BLM leaders were “benefiting off the blood of our loved ones.”
A 2023 financial review confirmed those suspicions, finding that only 33 percent of all donations went toward activism or direct community impact, while executives and consultants collected millions.
The federal probe also follows multiple regional BLM scandals. In 2024, Georgia-based activist Sir Maejor Page, who ran a BLM offshoot in Atlanta, was sentenced to over three years in prison for wire fraud and money laundering after diverting $450,000 in donations for personal luxuries like suits and firearms.
Federal investigators say they now want “evidence, not headlines.” If they uncover proof of systematic fraud or self-dealing, it could spell the end for a movement that once held immense political and cultural power.
The BLM movement’s legacy remains controversial. In its wake, protests and riots caused over $1 billion in property damage across urban communities and resulted in at least 20 deaths nationwide — devastating many of the same neighborhoods BLM claimed to champion.
In response to the AP’s reporting, BLMGNF denied any wrongdoing, stating:
“Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation is not a target of any federal criminal investigation. We remain committed to full transparency, accountability, and the responsible stewardship of resources dedicated to building a better future for Black communities.”
Still, after years of scandal, lavish spending, and broken trust, the group that once claimed to fight for justice may soon be forced to answer, under oath, the question Americans have asked for years: Where did all the money go?