Activist busted in BLM ‘scam’
The founder of a bogus Black Lives Matter group was nabbed in Ohio after he used $200,000 in donations for a new home, suits and guns, federal authorities said.
Sir Maejor Page, 32, previously known as Tyree Conyers-Page, was arrested Friday following a raid at a Toledo home, the FBI said.
Federal agents said Page ran social-media pages for an organization known as Black Lives Matter of Greater Atlanta, although its status as a nonprofit was revoked last year after the required paperwork wasn’t filed.
The amount of money in a bank account for the organization never topped $5,000 until this summer, when it saw an influx of cash amid a wave of protests over the death of George Floyd in May, authorities said.
From June to August, the group received more than $465,000 in donations that were transferred to an account operated by Page, authorities said.
Page allegedly responded to social-media inquiries in June by saying donated funds were only used for “movement-related” expenses, not “personal items.”
But the FBI said it was unable to identify any expenditures for those purposes.
Instead, a debit card for the account was charged for food, tailored suits, accessories and entertainment, authorities said.
The FBI said that among the significant purchases was the home in Toledo and an adjacent lot for $112,000.
Page appeared in court Friday on charges of wire fraud and money laundering in the case. He was released on $10,000 bond.