Atlanta fraudster set up ‘Black Lives Matter’ group, pocketed $200,000 in donations - FBI
The FBI has arrested an Atlanta activist on fraud charges, after he set up a ‘Black LIves Matter’ group to enrich himself to the tune of $200,000. As donations poured in, the suspect bought himself tailored suits and a new house.
Sir Maejor Page was arrested on Friday and charged with fraud and money laundering, with the FBI accusing him of misappropriating $200,000 in donations to his organization: ‘Black Lives Matter of Greater Atlanta.’
The organization was founded by Page - a well-known local activist - in 2016, but took in more than $466,000 in donations this June, July, and August, after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, set off a nationwide protest movement.
Page claimed that donations to his organization would be used "for George Floyd," but he allegedly spent nearly half of them on food, entertainment, furniture, tailored suits, according to an FBI affidavit in support of a criminal complaint against him.
Also on rt.com Millions mistakenly raised for unaffiliated Black Lives Matter Foundation that wants to work with policeIn addition, Page is accused of using the cash to buy himself a new home in Toledo, Ohio, last month.
The home at which law enforcement is raiding in regards to Sir Maejor Page was purchased by the activist organization Hi-Frequency Ohio. That purchase happened last month. Page is one of the leaders of that group https://t.co/YZCbkX8v1w#13abcpic.twitter.com/ZsidUFko9d
— Shaun Hegarty (@Shaun_Hegarty) September 25, 2020
‘Black Lives Matter of Greater Atlanta’ is not linked to the official ‘Black Lives Matter Global Network,’ and has been under FBI investigation since this April. It lost its tax-exempt status as a charity last year, after it failed to produce tax returns and expenditure files for the Inland Revenue Service.
However, it is not the only organization to piggyback off the ‘Black Lives Matter’ name for nefarious purposes. A California-registered organization known as ‘The Black Lives Matter Foundation’ railed millions of dollars in recent years, all while working to support police relations with the community. A noble goal perhaps, but not the goal of the BLM Global Network, which has called for the defunding of police departments.
The finances of the real movement have also been called into question. Between 2017 and 2019, the Black Lives Matter Global Network spent only six percent of its donations on its local chapters and community organizations. A whopping 83 percent, meanwhile, was spent on salaries, bonuses, travel, and consulting.
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