Another day, another “trust us” activist scandal collapsing under the weight of actual facts.
Federal prosecutors have charged Oklahoma City Black Lives Matter Executive Director Tashella Sheri Amore Dickerson with 20 counts of wire fraud and five counts of money laundering, alleging she spent millions in donated funds on a lavish personal lifestyle instead of the causes donors were promised.
According to the indictment, Dickerson—who took over BLM OKC in 2016—raised more than $5.6 million since 2020 for what donors believed was a national bail fund. That fund was further supplemented by grants from groups including the Community Justice Exchange, the Massachusetts Bail Fund, and the Minnesota Freedom Fund. Donors thought they were helping people get out of jail. Prosecutors say the money was allegedly helping someone shop.
From June 2020 through October 2025, Dickerson is accused of misappropriating at least $3.15 million to bankroll personal shopping sprees, more than $50,000 in food and grocery delivery, trips to Jamaica and the Dominican Republic, a personal vehicle, and six Oklahoma City properties registered in her own name. Bail reform, apparently, starts at home—six of them.
The indictment alleges Dickerson used interstate wire communications to send false reports to the Alliance for Global Justice, BLM OKC’s fiscal sponsor, which required funds to be used in compliance with its 501(c)(3) nonprofit status. Prosecutors say Dickerson failed to disclose that the money was allegedly being used for personal gain.
If convicted, Dickerson faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each wire fraud count, along with up to 10 years per money laundering count and fines reaching $250,000 or twice the amount of the criminal proceeds. That’s a steep price tag—ironically, one of the few she didn’t allegedly put on a credit card.
This case is hardly isolated. Donations flooded into Black Lives Matter and affiliated organizations in 2020 following the death of George Floyd, delivering millions to groups with minimal oversight. According to tax filings from 2020 to 2022, only one-third of the organization’s $90 million in revenue was used for charitable purposes.
Former BLM Global Network Foundation leader Patrisse Cullors also faced scrutiny after spending millions on contracts for friends and family and purchasing multiple high-end homes. She resigned in 2021 amid backlash from BLM chapters nationwide, though she was never criminally charged and has denied wrongdoing.
In September, BLM activist Monica Cannon-Grant pled guilty to wire fraud after diverting $185,000 in donations to cover rent, shopping, hotels, car rentals, repairs, meal deliveries, and a summer vacation.
The Justice Department launched a broader investigation into BLM and similar activist organizations in October, signaling that the era of blank checks and blind trust may finally be ending.
The positive takeaway? Accountability is catching up. Americans who donated in good faith deserve transparency, not luxury travel receipts. And under President Trump’s renewed push for law, order, and oversight, the message is clear: no movement, no matter how loud or fashionable, is above the law.
