BLM-Linked Activist Admits to Scamming Donors, Pocketing Pandemic Aid
Monica Cannon-Grant, a prominent far-left activist and founder of the nonprofit Violence in Boston, pleaded guilty to multiple federal fraud charges.She admitted to using her organization to enrich herself by deceiving donors and goverment programs, including committing wire fraud, mail fraud, and filing false tax returns. She diverted nonprofit funds for personal expenses such as rent,vacations,and luxury items. Additionally, she fraudulently obtained COVID relief funds, rental aid, and unemployment benefits. Her late husband was also charged, and the nonprofit shut down in 2024.Despite previously receiving local awards for activism, Cannon-Grant now faces up to 64 years in prison. The case highlights broader concerns about financial misconduct among some activists and nonprofit leaders.
An influential far-left activist in Boston admitted in federal court that she was nothing more than a fraud.
Monica Cannon-Grant, 44, the founder and CEO of Violence in Boston, pleaded guilty to 18 counts on Sept. 22.
The Department of Justice announced that Cannon-Grant confessed to wire fraud conspiracy, wire fraud, mail fraud, filing false tax returns, and failing to file tax returns.
She used her nonprofit to enrich herself while lying to donors and government agencies about where the money was going.
“Monica Cannon-Grant repeatedly scammed multiple public financial programs and stole money donated by members of the public who believed their donations would aid in reducing violence and promote social awareness,” U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley said.
“Instead, Cannon-Grant used donations to satisfy her own greed, while falsely portraying herself as a legitimate nonprofit organizer,” Foley said.
She diverted thousands of dollars from Violence in Boston’s accounts into her own bank accounts, covering rent, meals, vacations, and even nail salon visits, the New York Post reported.
Monica Cannon-Grant, a once-celebrated local activist, pleaded guilty to multiple charges related to defrauding donors to her nonprofit.https://t.co/YubQeJv7Bm pic.twitter.com/n3Q7iKHHlx
— Boston.com (@BostonDotCom) September 23, 2025
The DOJ said, she also defrauded the Boston Resiliency Fund out of nearly $54,000 in COVID relief money, then withdrew $30,000 in cash and paid her personal auto loan and insurance.
She defrauded Boston’s Office of Housing Stability by hiding income to secure $12,600 in rental aid.
She also stole nearly $100,000 in federal unemployment funds, repeatedly certifying that she had no income while she was collecting paychecks from her nonprofit, per the New York Post.
She even pocketed $3,000 from a Black Lives Matter group that believed it was funding food for children and protests against police.
Her late husband, Clark Grant, was also charged but died in 2023. Violence in Boston shut down in 2024.
Cannon-Grant’s activism once earned her awards from the Boston Globe and the Boston Celtics.
Those same accolades helped her raise money she then spent on herself. Now, she’s facing up to 64 years in prison.
This case is another reminder that the activist class on the left is often more interested in money than in the justice they claim to champion.
Black Lives Matter itself has been accused of similar greed.
Founders bought a $6 million California mansion, allegedly with donor money, after cashing in on racial unrest.
When confronted, BLM honcho Patrisse Khan-Cullors claimed that questioning the real estate purchase was akin to “right-wing harassment,” according to The U.K. Independent.
The scam is always the same.
Drum up unrest, promise change, collect donations, then live large.
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