Indiana Atty General Calls the Black Lives Matter Movement a “Scam” Due to Questionable Finances
Edited by: TJVNews.com
Due to allegations of financial corruption, it appears that the Black Lives Matter movement has been taking heat from elected officials.
According to a recent article in the New York Post, Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita critiqued the Black Lives Matter and called it a “scam” whose “house of cards may be falling.” The criticism of the purported anti-racism movement came as a result of the murky nature of its $60 million coffers.
The Washington Examiner reported that on Wednesday, the BLM Movement had “shut down online fundraising” after receiving a legal letter from California’s Department of Justice. Rokita said that because of the financial allegations directed at the BLM movement, he was “concerned” about the monetary dealings of the group.
Speaking to the Washington Examiner on Wednesday, Rokita said, “It appears that the house of cards may be falling, and this happens eventually with nearly every scam, scheme, or illegal enterprise.”
“I see patterns that scams kind of universally take: failure to provide board members, failure to provide even executive directors, failure to make your filings available. It all leads to suspicion,” he said, according to the Post report.
The Post also reported that both California and Washington recently ordered the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation to stop collecting donations because it was delinquent in crucial tax and charity filings.
The Washington Examiner reported that BLM’s charity registration is also out of compliance in Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina and Virginia.
Rokita said that recent news on the tax status of BLM would “certainly cause us to be concerned” but according to the Post, did not say if Indiana had launched an investigation into the group’s finances.
The Post reported that BLM has been under a dark cloud of suspicion concerning its finances after complaints were registered by its affiliates over not receiving adequate funding. In 2020, BLM reported that it raised $90 million with at least $60 million left over, according to the Post report.
In May, BLM co-founder, Patrisse Kahn-Cullors vacated her position because of a growing scandal over private real estate acquisitions that she made with money earmarked for BLM.
The Washington Examiner revealed that the two people who had been designated to replace Kahn-Cullors never assumed their posts due to conflicts with the “acting Leadership Council” of BLM who are unnamed.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta penned a letter on Monday which gave the foundation 60 days to file tax and charity documents, warning that it was “prohibited” from “soliciting or disbursing charitable funds,” as was reported by the Post.
He added that BLM’s “directors, trustees, officers and return preparers” would be “personally liable for payment of all penalties, interest and other costs.”
The Post reported that BLM also received a similar letter from Washington in which they were told that “all solicitations conducted on its behalf must immediately cease” in the state, with penalties up to $2,000 for each violation.
In a statement to The Post Wednesday, the BLM said, “We take these matters seriously and have taken immediate action.
“We have immediately engaged compliance counsel to address any issues related to state fundraising compliance. In the interim, we have shut down online fundraising as we work quickly to ensure we are meeting all compliance requirements.”
