Justice Department reportedly investigating Black Lives Matter Foundation’s use of funds

The Justice Department has reportedly launched a fraud investigation into the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation.  

Black Lives Matter is back in the headlines… but not in the way that you think. The Justice Department is reportedly launching an investigation into the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation. The Associated Press reports that federal officials have issued subpoenas and at least one search warrant in their investigation into the foundation’s use of funds. 

Through this investigation, the Justice Department aims to determine whether leaders of the national foundation defrauded donors by misusing funds. In 2020, following George Floyd’s murder, the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation announced that they had raised over $90 million. However, the celebratory claps quickly turned into suspicious glares for some critics when news broke that the organization had purchased a $6 million compound shortly after. 

“It’s really important for folks to understand that the acquiring of the multi-purpose property happened in October of 2020. For us, it was a huge accomplishment. And I’m speaking specifically to Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation,” Patrisse Cullors, who previously served as the foundation’s executive director, told theGrio in 2021. “It was really important for us to do a number of things — one, get that money to the ground and get those resources to the ground, which we did, but also secure a space like so many other organizations, not just across Black movement, but across nonprofit organizations, do.”

In addition to denying any wrongdoing, the organization also publicly shared tax documents at the time. Despite these efforts, the foundation continued to not only face public scrutiny but also legal scrutiny from other Black organizations, such as Black Lives Matter Grassroots Inc., which accused the foundation of raising money off the work of city-based BLM chapters, then defrauding the public and excluding activists from decision-making. Though Black Lives Matter Grassroots Inc.’s lawsuit was ultimately dismissed, now the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California is reportedly leading the Justice Department’s investigation. 

According to the Associated Press, multiple sources confirmed that the federal investigation was first initiated under the Biden administration and has gained renewed attention by the Trump administration. 

In light of the new investigation, the foundation clarified to the news outlet that the foundation “is not a target of any federal criminal investigation.”

“We remain committed to full transparency, accountability, and the responsible stewardship of resources dedicated to building a better future for Black communities,” the BLM foundation’s statement added.