The Justice Department announced on Thursday that it has launched an investigation into Black Lives Matter leaders over allegations that they defrauded donors during the George Floyd protests in 2020.
This comes after accusations coming from the left and right against the Black Lives Matter Global Foundation that the leaders misused the funds they received, according to The Associated Press.
The Justice Department is investigating whether leaders in the Black Lives Matter movement defrauded donors who contributed tens of millions of dollars during racial justice protests in 2020, according to multiple people familiar with the matter.
In recent weeks, federal law enforcement officials have issued subpoenas and served at least one search warrant as part of an investigation into the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, Inc. and other Black-led organizations that helped spark a national reckoning on systemic racism, said the people, who were not authorized to discuss an ongoing criminal probe by name and spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press.
It was not clear if the investigation would result in criminal charges, but its mere existence invites fresh scrutiny to a movement that in recent years has faced criticism about its public accounting of donations it has received. The recent burst of investigative activity is also unfolding at a time when civil rights organizations have raised concerns about the potential for the Trump administration to target a variety of progressive and left-leaning groups that have been critical of him, including those affiliated with BLM, the transgender rights movement and anti-ICE protesters.
Critics have alleged that the organization has failed when it comes to transparency, governance, and use of donor funds for the past five years. Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation (BLMGNF) reported raising over $90 million during the 2020 protests. Leaders of the organization are alleged to have used the donations for high-profile real estate purchases while failing to adhere to regulatory filings.
Back in 2022, the organization faced scrutiny when it was revealed that it purchased a $6 million home in Southern California using donations.
From Fox 11:
Recent disclosures that the foundation had paid $6 million for a Los Angeles compound in 2020 unleashed a torrent of criticism and social media chatter. The property in Studio City -- including a home with six bedrooms and bathrooms, a swimming pool, a soundstage and office space -- is meant to be both a meeting venue and a campus for Black artists.
Some criticism came from BLM supporters like Justin Hansford, director of the Thurgood Marshall Civil Rights Center at Howard University. He said the property purchase could be weaponized by movement opponents, leading possible donors to shy away from Black-led social justice organizations: "That’s the thing that you don’t want to get out of hand."
Patrice Cullors, who led BLMGNF at the time, defended the purchase of the mansion, saying she “wanted to make sure that the global network foundation had an asset that wasn’t just financial resources” because “not many Black-led organizations have property.”
Michael Fanone deserves a @TheJusticeDept deep dive investigation into everything from his decision to ‘self-deploy’, WTF!?!, on J6, to his very close relationship to black transgender sex worker, Leslie Perkins and being introduced to Black Lives Matter and Antifa. His… pic.twitter.com/72US6df7kJ
— Tony Seruga (@TonySeruga) September 26, 2025
California Attorney General Rob Bonta issued a delinquency notice to the organization in 2022. He warned that it was out of compliance because it failed to submit the required reports and documentation.
Other leaders have been accused of using donations for personal expenses. Local Black Lives Matter chapters took the global network to task for fundraising off their work while excluding local leaders and failing to distribute funds that were promised to the chapters. This conflict culminated in a legal fight in Los Angeles.
From the Los Angeles Times:
The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, specifically names Shalomyah Bowers, an Oakland-based policy advocate and consultant who joined the board of directors of the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation earlier this year.
The chapters, organized under the umbrella organization Black Lives Matter Grassroots, allege that he was “a middle man turned usurper” who refused to abide by a transition plan to wind down the foundation and transfer its power back to the activists. Instead, they allege, he went “rogue” and helped steal more than $10 million in donations.
“While BLM leaders and movement workers were on the street risking their lives,” the lawsuit claims, “Mr. Bowers remained in his cushy offices devising a scheme of fraud and misrepresentation to break the implied-in-fact contract between donors and BLM.”
The global Black Lives Matter group was clearly a grift from the beginning. Its leaders cared more about enriching themselves than fighting for justice — which is not uncommon when it comes to progressive groups claiming to care about “marginalized” communities.
The only negative thing about this development is that it took so long to happen. Apparently, the DOJ under the Biden administration did not think it necessary to investigate the group even though harmed those it claimed to help.