Black Lives Matter OKC leader charged with wire fraud, money laundering in alleged $3.15M embezzlement scheme

close

Video

Black Lives Matter organization facing scrutiny as former chapter head sentenced

Fox News senior correspondent Jonathan Serrie reports on the questions surrounding Black Lives Matter's finances on ‘America's Newsroom.’

The executive director of Black Lives Matter (BLM) Oklahoma City (OKC) has been charged with wire fraud and money laundering after federal prosecutors say she diverted more than $3.15 million in returned bail checks into her personal bank accounts over a five-year period, according to an indictment unsealed Thursday.

Tashella Sheri Amore Dickerson, 52, of Oklahoma City, is accused of routing money intended for the group’s bail fund and social justice programs into accounts she controlled between June 2020 and October 2025. 

The indictment says Dickerson used the money "for her personal benefit," including travel to Jamaica and the Dominican Republic, "tens of thousands of dollars in retail shopping," more than $50,000 in food deliveries, a vehicle and six real properties.

According to a Department of Justice (DOJ) press release covering the indictment, BLM OKC raised more than $5.6 million beginning in 2020, including major grants from the Community Justice Exchange, the Massachusetts Bail Fund and the Minnesota Freedom Fund.

BLACK LIVES MATTER'S $6M CALIFORNIA HOUSE DRAWS SCRUTINY

The Rev. T. Sheri Dickerson, a co-founder of Black Lives Matter in Oklahoma City, speaks during a rally outside the Stillwater Police Department in Stillwater, Okla. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, File)

Those organizations routed most of the money through the Alliance for Global Justice (AFGJ), which served as BLM OKC’s fiscal sponsor and required that all funds be used for tax-exempt purposes permitted under Section 501(c)(3). AFGJ also prohibited real estate purchases without its approval and required BLM OKC to fully account for expenditures upon request.

Prosecutors say Dickerson instead deposited at least $3.15 million in returned bail checks into her personal accounts "rather than into BLMOKC’s accounts" and used interstate wires to submit two annual reports to AFGJ that "did not disclose" her personal use of funds. Those reports said the organization’s money had been used only for tax-exempt purposes.

Dickerson served as the group’s executive director beginning in at least 2016 and had access to BLM OKC’s bank, PayPal and CashApp accounts, according to the indictment. 

FLORIDA DESIGNATES MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD AND CAIR AS FOREIGN TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS, DESANTIS SAYS

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., left, and Black Lives Matter Oklahoma City leader Tashella Sheri Amore Dickerson pose for a selfie. (Tashella Sheri Amore Dickerson via Facebook)

Prosecutors allege the misconduct began during the period when national bail funds allowed BLM OKC to retain portions of returned bail money to build a revolving bail fund or support its stated mission. 

In 2022, Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, a separate national organization not affiliated with BLM OKC, came under scrutiny after New York Magazine reported that it had purchased a $6 million California property using donor funds.

Internal memos showed senior leaders discussing how to manage questions about the house, which the group said was intended to serve as creative and community space. The reporting ignited debate at the time over financial transparency and oversight within national BLM-associated organizations.

Image of "Spirit Rock" painted with a Black Lives Matter message. (Alliance Defending Freedom)

A federal grand jury returned a 25-count indictment Dec. 3 charging Dickerson with 20 counts of wire fraud and five counts of money laundering. She faces up to 20 years in federal prison for each wire fraud count and up to 10 years for each money-laundering count, along with potential fines of up to $250,000 per charge.

All charges are merely allegations and Dickerson is presumed innocent unless proven guilty. The case was investigated by the FBI’s Oklahoma City Field Office and IRS Criminal Investigation.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Fox News Digital has reached out to Black Lives Matter OKC and the Alliance for Global Justice for comment.

Fox News Digital's Ronn Blitzer contributed to this report.