The Justice Department is investigating whether leaders of the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation and other affiliated Black-led organizations misused tens of millions of dollars in donations raised during the 2020 racial justice protests, according to multiple sources cited by The Associated Press. Federal officials recently issued subpoenas and at least one search warrant as part of the inquiry.
Sources said the investigation began under the Biden administration but has received renewed attention under the Trump administration. The BLM foundation reported taking in over $90 million in donations following George Floyd’s murder. Critics have accused the nonprofit of lacking transparency, a concern intensified after the foundation confirmed in 2022 that some funds were used to purchase a $6 million Los Angeles-area property.
The investigation is being led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California in Los Angeles. Top prosecutor Bill Essayli, recently found by a federal judge to have “exceeded his term limits as acting U.S. attorney,” continues to lead the office under the title of First Assistant United States Attorney. Essayli has previously described BLM as a “radical organization” while defending a white couple charged with defacing a BLM mural, arguing their actions reflected political disagreement rather than a hate crime.
Leaders of the BLM foundation have received subpoenas as part of the ongoing federal probe.
