Justice Department Announces Indictment Against Top Black Lives Matter Director

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A federal grand jury indicted the Executive Director of Black Lives Matter Oklahoma City on money laundering and wire fraud charges.

Tashella Sheri Amore Dickerson, 52, was indicted on 20 counts of wire fraud and five counts of money laundering.

“According to the Indictment, beginning in at least 2016, Dickerson served as the Executive Director of Black Lives Matter OKC (BLMOKC),” the Justice Department stated in a release.

“As Executive Director, Dickerson had access to BLMOKC’s bank, PayPal, and Cash App accounts,” it continued.

The indictment alleges that “millions of dollars in grant funds were improperly spent on international trips, groceries and personal real estate,” ABC News noted.

More from the Justice Department:

The Indictment alleges that, although BLMOKC was not a registered tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, it accepted charitable donations through its affiliation with the Alliance for Global Justice (AFGJ), based in Arizona. AFGJ served as a fiscal sponsor to BLMOKC and required BLMOKC to use its funds only as permitted by Section 501(c)(3). AFGJ also required BLMOKC to fully account upon request for the disbursement of all funds received and prohibited BLMOKC from using its funds to purchase real estate without AFGJ’s consent.

Beginning in late spring 2020, BLMOKC raised funds to support its social justice mission from online donors, as well as from national bail funds. In total, BLMOKC raised more than $5.6 million, which included grants from national bail funds, including the Community Justice Exchange, Massachusetts Bail Fund, and Minnesota Freedom Fund. Most of those funds were routed through AFGJ, as fiscal sponsor, to BLMOKC.

According to the Indictment, BLMOKC was supposed to use these national bail fund grants to post pretrial bail for individuals arrested in connection with protests for racial justice after the death of George Floyd. When bail funds were returned to BLMOKC, the national bail funds sometimes allowed BLMOKC to keep all or a portion of the grant funding to establish a revolving bail fund, or for BLMOKC’s social justice mission, as permitted by Section 501(c)(3).

Despite the stated purpose of the money raised, and the terms and conditions of the grants, the Indictment alleges that beginning in June 2020 and continuing through at least October 2025, Dickerson embezzled funds from BLMOKC’s accounts for her personal benefit. The Indictment alleges Dickerson deposited at least $3.15 million in returned bail checks into her personal accounts, rather than into BLMOKC’s accounts.

“An executive director with Black Lives Matter allegedly used her position to steal donor money and enrich herself. She has now been charged with wire fraud and money laundering,” FBI Director Kash Patel said.

According to the indictment, Dickerson allegedly used the funds for:

  • recreational travel to Jamaica and the Dominican Republic for herself and her associates;
  • tens of thousands of dollars in retail shopping;
  • at least $50,000 in food and grocery deliveries for herself and her children;
  • a personal vehicle registered in her name; and
  • six real properties in Oklahoma City deeded in her own name or in the name Equity International, LLC, an entity she exclusively controlled.

ABC News shared further:

If convicted, Dickerson faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000 for each count of wire fraud and 10 years in prison and fines for each count of money laundering.

In a live video posted on her Facebook page Thursday afternoon, Dickerson said she was not in custody and was “fine.”

“I cannot make an official comment about what transpired today,” she said. “I am home. I am safe. I have confidence in our team.”

“A lot of times when people come at you with these types of things … it’s evidence that you are doing the work,” she continued. “That is what I’m standing on.”



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