Fed fraud charges climb to 28
Monica Cannon-grant and her husband were back in court, pleading not guilty to the expanded raft of federal charges the controversial former Boston nonprofit activist now faces.
Cannon-grant, 42, and her husband, Clark Grant, 39, only were in court remotely for a hearing that lasted around 10 minutes yesterday, according to authorities following the court event that wasn’t publicly available due to a technological snafu, but the pair entered the pleas of not guilty that are typical for arraignments.
The couple was originally charged nearly a full year ago on March 15, 2022, with 18-fraud related counts that hinged on three distinct conspiracy allegations. The first is the misuse of donations to the couple’s charity Violence in Boston for personal use, the second is the misuse of public funds — including the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program — and the third is alleged fraud related to the mortgage on the couple’s Taunton home.
The pair now face a total of 27 fraud-related counts in a new indictment issued last Thursday evening: Three counts wire fraud conspiracy; one count conspiracy; one count mail fraud, aiding and abetting; 16 counts wire fraud, aiding and abetting; one count making false statements to a mortgage lending business, aiding and abetting; two counts filing false tax returns; two counts failure to file tax returns; and allegations of both wire and mail fraud forfeiture and mortgage fraud forfeiture.
“From 2017 to 2021, Cannon-grant and Clark Grant, through VIB fundraising, solicited and received over a million dollars in donations and grants from individuals, charitable institutions, and other entities,” the new indictment states, and across 52 pages alleges misuse of much of these funds, often to enrich themselves. The other charges are to alleged misuse of public monies by using their charity as a conduit.
The new wire fraud charges come from allegations that the couple ripped off the Boston Resiliency Fund without the city’s permission or knowledge, including for their own personal benefit — including to fraudulently obtain rental assistance payments from Boston’s Office of Housing Stability.
Cannon-grant was a controversial figure in the Boston political scene for years, garnering plaudits from some due to her antiviolence work and efforts to feed local youths — but also taking flak for her profane attacks on people she disagreed with and peddling of conspiracy theories.
The couple is next due in court May 19.