The Justice Department is investigating whether donations to the national Black Lives Matter foundation were misused by the group's leadership in the wake of an influx of gifts during nationwide racial justice protests in the summer of 2020, according to a source familiar with the investigation.
The Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation Inc., which is a separate entity from the Black Lives Matter protest movement, has long been accused by right-wing critics of not being transparent enough with how it spends its donations. Part of that criticism came when the group used more than $6 million to buy a house in Los Angeles.
The group defended the purchase in a 2022 post on its website, writing that the house "serves as a space for Black folks to share their gifts with the world and hone their craft as they see fit, under the conditions that work best for them and in a safe space free from systems of oppression that exist in various creative industries."
The national Black Lives Matter foundation raised more than $90 million in 2020, the organization disclosed in a 2020 report. The group had over $28 million in assets as of June 2024, according to recent financial disclosures.
It is unclear specifically when the investigation into Black Lives Matter was launched, but it is being run out of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California, which handles cases in or near Los Angeles, the source said.
Justice Department investigating Black Lives Matter foundation, source says - CBS News
BLM Financial Scrutiny: Years Of ‘Lavish’ Spending Preceded Federal Fraud Probe
Reports of a revived federal investigation into potential widespread fraud within the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation (BLMGNF) broke on Thursday, but scrutiny over the group’s lavish donor fund spending was reported years ago.
Following nationwide anti-police protests in 2020 that made Black Lives Matter a household name, the Department of Justice (DOJ) is reportedly renewing an investigation into whether the BLMGNF defrauded donors.
This federal probe, which began under the Biden administration, now has new life under President Donald Trump and the Trump-appointed top prosecutor for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California in Los Angeles, Bill Essayli. Essayli’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
The BLMGNF’s current leaders, who have previously denied wrongdoing, have reportedly received subpoenas as part of the probe. In a statement, the group maintained that it “is not a target of any federal criminal investigation,” adding, “We remain committed to full transparency, accountability, and the responsible stewardship of resources dedicated to building a better future for Black communities.”
The DOJ has the authority to investigate alleged fraud on both a civil or criminal level, though the current legal framework for the reported BLM probe remains unclear.
Many legacy media outlets reportedly ignored the initial financial mismanagement allegations against BLM in 2020, at the height of the group’s prominence after George Floyd’s death. Overlooked news that year included ten BLM chapters accusing the BLMGN of failing to provide them fiscal support while allegedly enriching its own leadership.
That same year, the financial concerns were amplified when the FBI arrested BLM of Greater Atlanta leader Sir Maejor Page in September on charges of using $200,000 in donations for personal expenses. Page was later sentenced to 42 months in prison in October 2024 for wire fraud and money laundering.
Years of additional financial scandals continued after Page’s arrest.
In May 2021, the BLMGNF announced that its co-founder, Patrisse Cullors, was stepping down after it was exposed that she received a $238,000 payment for services to a company run by the father of her child. READ: ‘Huge Number Of Problems’ Charity Experts Sound Off On BLM Co-Founder Patrisse Cullors’ Potential Self-Dealing
Furthermore, the BLMGNF shut down its website’s fundraising features in February 2022 after California and Washington State threatened to sue the foundation over missing financial records.
Two months later, it was revealed that the BLMGNF spent $6 million of its budget on a mansion without publicly disclosing the purchase.
While a California judge dismissed a related fraud lawsuit in 2023, the purchase continues to fuel suspicions among supporters. Additionally, multiple firms owned by BLM leaders or their family members received lucrative contracts totaling millions of dollars from the BLMGNF between July 2022 and June 2023, spending that further alarmed experts about the foundation honoring its obligations as a charity. READ: BLM Co-Founder Patrisse Cullors Has Funneled Business To Company Run By Father Of Her Only Child, Records Show
Five years after the summer of 2020 brought BLM to prominence, a May 2025 poll showed that most Americans believe the country’s “increased focus on race” has not accomplished anything meaningful for Black people. Essayli, the prosecutor now leading the probe, had previously criticized BLM in 2020, calling it “anti-police” and “anti-American.”
BLM Financial Scrutiny: Years Of 'Lavish' Spending Preceded Federal Fraud Probe
The Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation Inc., which is a separate entity from the Black Lives Matter protest movement, has long been accused by right-wing critics of not being transparent enough with how it spends its donations. Part of that criticism came when the group used more than $6 million to buy a house in Los Angeles.
The group defended the purchase in a 2022 post on its website, writing that the house "serves as a space for Black folks to share their gifts with the world and hone their craft as they see fit, under the conditions that work best for them and in a safe space free from systems of oppression that exist in various creative industries."
The national Black Lives Matter foundation raised more than $90 million in 2020, the organization disclosed in a 2020 report. The group had over $28 million in assets as of June 2024, according to recent financial disclosures.
It is unclear specifically when the investigation into Black Lives Matter was launched, but it is being run out of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California, which handles cases in or near Los Angeles, the source said.
Justice Department investigating Black Lives Matter foundation, source says - CBS News
BLM Financial Scrutiny: Years Of ‘Lavish’ Spending Preceded Federal Fraud Probe
Reports of a revived federal investigation into potential widespread fraud within the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation (BLMGNF) broke on Thursday, but scrutiny over the group’s lavish donor fund spending was reported years ago.
Following nationwide anti-police protests in 2020 that made Black Lives Matter a household name, the Department of Justice (DOJ) is reportedly renewing an investigation into whether the BLMGNF defrauded donors.
This federal probe, which began under the Biden administration, now has new life under President Donald Trump and the Trump-appointed top prosecutor for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California in Los Angeles, Bill Essayli. Essayli’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
The BLMGNF’s current leaders, who have previously denied wrongdoing, have reportedly received subpoenas as part of the probe. In a statement, the group maintained that it “is not a target of any federal criminal investigation,” adding, “We remain committed to full transparency, accountability, and the responsible stewardship of resources dedicated to building a better future for Black communities.”
The DOJ has the authority to investigate alleged fraud on both a civil or criminal level, though the current legal framework for the reported BLM probe remains unclear.
Many legacy media outlets reportedly ignored the initial financial mismanagement allegations against BLM in 2020, at the height of the group’s prominence after George Floyd’s death. Overlooked news that year included ten BLM chapters accusing the BLMGN of failing to provide them fiscal support while allegedly enriching its own leadership.
That same year, the financial concerns were amplified when the FBI arrested BLM of Greater Atlanta leader Sir Maejor Page in September on charges of using $200,000 in donations for personal expenses. Page was later sentenced to 42 months in prison in October 2024 for wire fraud and money laundering.
Years of additional financial scandals continued after Page’s arrest.
In May 2021, the BLMGNF announced that its co-founder, Patrisse Cullors, was stepping down after it was exposed that she received a $238,000 payment for services to a company run by the father of her child. READ: ‘Huge Number Of Problems’ Charity Experts Sound Off On BLM Co-Founder Patrisse Cullors’ Potential Self-Dealing
Furthermore, the BLMGNF shut down its website’s fundraising features in February 2022 after California and Washington State threatened to sue the foundation over missing financial records.
Two months later, it was revealed that the BLMGNF spent $6 million of its budget on a mansion without publicly disclosing the purchase.
While a California judge dismissed a related fraud lawsuit in 2023, the purchase continues to fuel suspicions among supporters. Additionally, multiple firms owned by BLM leaders or their family members received lucrative contracts totaling millions of dollars from the BLMGNF between July 2022 and June 2023, spending that further alarmed experts about the foundation honoring its obligations as a charity. READ: BLM Co-Founder Patrisse Cullors Has Funneled Business To Company Run By Father Of Her Only Child, Records Show
Five years after the summer of 2020 brought BLM to prominence, a May 2025 poll showed that most Americans believe the country’s “increased focus on race” has not accomplished anything meaningful for Black people. Essayli, the prosecutor now leading the probe, had previously criticized BLM in 2020, calling it “anti-police” and “anti-American.”
BLM Financial Scrutiny: Years Of 'Lavish' Spending Preceded Federal Fraud Probe
