Black Lives Matter is facing another scandal in Boston, as local activists face several new fraud charges stemming from COVID relief funds. The couple, Monica Cannon-Grant and Clark Grant, were slapped with over a dozen charges stemming from their community-based advocacy group VIB, which they established in 2017. VIB and BLM partnered on many marches and events, especially during the 2020 election and in the aftermath of the George Floyd killing in Minneapolis:
A year ago this week, Monica Cannon-Grant and her husband, Clark Grant, were charged with 18 federal counts in connection to their organization, Violence in Boston. The pair founded VIB in 2017 with the stated goal of reducing violence, raising social awareness, and aiding community causes in Boston, according to NECN. VIB partnered with BLM in the ensuing years, especially in 2020. That June, VIB and BLM organized a Boston rally and vigil for George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery, and thousands reportedly attended.
Though VIB was a nonprofit which had raised over $1 million, Cannon-Grant and Grant allegedly used a significant portion of those funds for personal use. The 2022 federal indictment claimed that the couple had spent that money on gas, restaurants, personal travel and hotel reservations, nail salon appointments, auto repairs, and ride-share services.
There are also allegations that the two lied on a mortgage application and that Cannon-Grant had received more than $10,000 in grant money from a department store but had spent at least a third of that money on her rent.
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Now, federal prosecutors have added nine more charges against Cannon-Grant and Grant — 42 and 39, respectively — in connection to COVID relief funds. As in the previous indictment, the two are alleged to have spent the grant money on personal expenses.
They are also accused of defrauding other governmental agencies by misrepresenting their income. For example, until recently, Grant had been working full-time for a commuter services company, a job he had held since 2018, Boston.com reported. (via The Blaze, emphasis mine)
What a mess. Black Lives Matter’s troubles aren’t just contained to the Boston area. Amazon removed them from their charity platform last year. It’s to the point where the movement has no real leader for multiple reasons, not the least being that whoever is picked as king or queen of the mountain faces intense legal scrutiny. Some top leaders made away with sketchy real estate deals. Other local leaders were busted for voter fraud.
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