BLM Activist Arrested by FBI on Wire Fraud, Money Laundering Charges
An Atlanta-based Black Lives Matter activist was arrested Friday and faces federal wire fraud and money laundering charges.
Sir Maejor Page, 32, is accused by the FBI of spending the money on clothing, guns and a home in Ohio, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The FBI said Page took in money through a GoFundMe account linked to the Facebook page of Black Lives Matter of Greater Atlanta.
The group raised nearly $470,000 between June and August, the FBI stated in a news release.
However, the money was funneled to an account owned by Page.
Page alleged told donors the funding was for “movement-related expenses,” according to the FBI news release.
#BREAKING: Atlanta-based activist Sir Maejor Page allegedly used BLM group to launder more than $200K for personal purchases, FBI says: https://t.co/5r92Kkh1TC pic.twitter.com/PrccYdN5rx
— WSB-TV (@wsbtv) September 25, 2020
But in the news release, the FBI said the fund became Page’s piggy bank.
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“Numerous videos and livestream videos were posted to Page’s personal social media pages showing himself in what appeared to be newly purchased clothing, hotel rooms and office space in Atlanta,” the news release stated.
“Several audio statements are made by Page in the videos boasting about the money he has, his tailored suits, his nice cufflinks and ‘$150 dollar ties,'” the release stated.
Page is also accused of buying a pistol and two rifles this month with money donated to Black Lives Matter, according to the release.
Collectively, he is charged with spending $200,000 that had “no identifiable purchase or expenditure for social or racial justice.”
Page was arrested in Toledo and charged with one count of wire fraud and two counts of money laundering.
Page’s real name is Tyree Conyers-Page, according to WTOL-TV.
Page was released on a $10,000 bail after a court appearance and ordered not to use Facebook, raise funds or open a bank account or line of credit while his case is pending.
The criminal complaint against Page, according to WTVG, claims that Page set up Black Lives Matter of Greater Atlanta as a 501(c)(3) non-profit in March 2016. The organization had its tax-exempt status revoked by the IRS in 2019, the same year it was dissolved as a non-profit by the Georgia Secretary of State Corporations Division.
The Toledo home cost $112,000 and was bought in the name of Hi Frequency Ohio, an organization that listed Page as treasurer and general counsel, according to the FBI.
The complaint claims Page used the organization as a cover when buying the property.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
