WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department is investigating whether leaders of the Black Lives Matter movement defrauded donors who donated tens of millions of dollars during 2020 racial justice protests, according to people familiar with the matter.
In recent weeks, federal law enforcement officials have issued subpoenas and at least one search warrant as part of an investigation into the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation and other Black-led organizations that have sparked a national reckoning over systemic racism, said the person, who was not authorized to discuss an ongoing criminal investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
It is unclear whether the investigation will lead to criminal charges, but its very existence invites new scrutiny for a movement that has faced criticism over the public accounting of donations it has received in recent years. The recent surge in raids comes as civil rights groups have expressed concern that the Trump administration could target a wide range of progressive and left-wing groups critical of the Trump administration, including BLM, the transgender rights movement, and anti-ICE demonstrators.
A Justice Department spokeswoman declined to comment Thursday.
One of the people said the investigation began during the Biden administration, but has received renewed attention under the Trump administration. A second official confirmed the allegations were investigated by the Biden administration.
the foundation said Raised more than $90 million in donationsthe killing of George Floyd, a black man who died under the knee of a white Minneapolis police officer in 2020, sparked protests across the United States and around the world.
Nonprofit foundations and broader critics of the BLM movement accused organizers of a lack of transparency about how donations were used. That criticism grew even louder after BLM Foundation leaders admitted in 2022 that they had used donations to make purchases. $6 million Los Angeles area real estate This includes a house with six bedrooms and bathrooms.
Leaders have previously denied wrongdoing and released tax documents. Previous investigations into the nonprofit’s finances have found no evidence of fraud.
Foundation leaders received subpoenas. In a statement emailed to The Associated Press on Thursday, the foundation said it was “not the subject of a federal criminal investigation.”
“We remain committed to full transparency, accountability, and responsible stewardship of the resources dedicated to building a better future for Black communities,” the foundation said in a statement.
The Black Lives Matter movement first emerged in 2013 following the acquittal of George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer who murdered a 17-year-old boy. Trayvon Martin In Florida. But in the wake of Michael Brown’s death at the hands of police in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014, the slogan “Black Lives Matter” became a rallying cry for progressives and a favorite target of ridicule for conservatives.
The movement’s founders and organizers pledged to create a decentralized organization governed by the consensus of BLM chapters. But as the movement’s influence grew, so did the number of organizations affiliated with BLM. In 2020, a wave of public donations in the aftermath of protests over Floyd’s killing went primarily to the BLM Foundation, but other groups also received funding.
foundation leader Clarified financial and organizational structure for 2022revealing a detailed accounting of expenditures. The BLM Foundation had assets of $28 million in the fiscal year ending June 2024, according to its most recent Form 990 filing.
The investigation is being conducted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California in Los Angeles. Bill Esseri, the top prosecutor there, Disqualified due to several incidents It comes after a federal judge concluded earlier this week that Trump appointees had remained in temporary positions longer than allowed by law. It is unclear whether Esairi’s disqualification will affect the BLM investigation. He effectively remains the top prosecutor in the office, changing his title to assistant U.S. attorney.
Ezeiri previously served as a Republican lawmaker in California, where he championed conservative causes and criticized the state’s coronavirus restrictions. He is an outspoken opponent of the state’s policies to protect immigrants living in the country illegally and has aggressively prosecuted protesters across Southern California against President Trump’s increased immigration enforcement.
As a private attorney, he characterized BLM as a “radical organization” while defending a white couple who were videotaped and charged with hate crimes in 2020. BLM Mural in Martinez, California.
at that time, A city-approved BLM mural was painted on the road. They were held in cities across the United States to express solidarity with the racial justice movement. Mr. Ezeiri told the CBS television affiliate in San Francisco that his clients were only expressing their political views and did not consent to taxpayer funds being used to “sponsor the extremist organization Black Lives Matters.”
The couple entered into a plea deal to resolve the case in 2022.
At the height of the reckoning over racial injustice sparked by Floyd, some state officials vowed to conduct independent investigations into the foundation’s finances, saying they had a responsibility to protect residents who may have donated to BLM. However, most of these investigations were resolved without formal action.
In 2022, Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita filed a lawsuit against the BLM Foundation for failing to respond to an investigation into its finances. A representative of the foundation provided the necessary information and documents shortly thereafter, and the case was dismissed, a spokeswoman for the attorney general’s office said.
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Alana Durkin Richer in Washington, DC and Graham Lee Brewer in Oklahoma City contributed.
