BLM Activist Named ‘Bostonian of the Year’ Ordered to Pay Back over $200,000 in Stolen Funds
Monica Cannon-Grant, a Black Lives Matter activist who was named “Bostonian of the Year” by the Boston Globe, was ordered to pay back every dime she stole from her nonprofit, unemployment benefits, and other fraudulent practices, amounting to almost $225,000.
U.S. District Court Judge Angel Kelley sentenced Cannon-Grant to four years’ probation, six months of home detention, and 100 hours of community service. Federal prosecutors, however, recommended 18 months in prison. Although Cannon-Grant dodged time behind bars, she must return all of the money she managed to bilk from her nonprofit.
Cannon-Grant pleaded guilty in September to 18 counts, including three counts of wire fraud conspiracy, ten counts of wire fraud, one count of mail fraud, two counts of filing false tax returns, and two counts of failing to file tax returns.
Cannon-Grant founded Violence in Boston Inc. in 2017, coordinated massive protests and marches following the death of George Floyd, and facilitated other progressive social campaigns.
The funds Cannon-Grant stole came from various places, including $181,000 in donations from Violence in Boston Inc., $33,000 in fraudulent unemployment benefits issued during the Covid pandemic, and another $12,600 taken from rental assistance benefits, according to the court order.
Cannon-Grant and her late husband, Clark Grant, were previously charged in a 27-count superseding indictment, although the charges against Clark were dismissed because of his death.
“Cannon-Grant not only stole from her own non-profit organization but did so at the expense of multiple public financial programs designed to help those truly in need,” Thomas Demeo, special agent in charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation at the Boston Field Office, said in a press release in January. “While Cannon-Grant personally profited from her own scheme, those in the communities seeking a lifeline from her organization had to go without.”
The prominent activist used the money she stole to pay for rent, shopping sprees, hotels, car rentals, auto repairs, meal deliveries, and a summer vacation trip to Maryland. Amidst her scheme, Cannon-Grant received praise for her social justice initiatives, including the Boston Globe Magazine‘s title of “Bostonian of the Year” in 2020.
“Revolution, no matter what anyone thinks, is not led by a person. Revolution is only as real and strong as the people. And there is no one path to liberation. From policy makers to powerful creatives to people in the streets with their fists in the air, we need all kinds,” reads the introduction to the social-justice advocate category of the magazine’s “Bostonian of the Year” entry.
“Monica Cannon-Grant knows both what it is to be erased in conversations and community work, and to be deemed the voice of a community. ‘It’s easy to make one person the revolution, so that no one else has to do the work,’ says Cannon-Grant, 39, a Roxbury activist and founder of the nonprofit group Violence in Boston,” the entry continues.
At her January sentencing, Cannon-Grant told the judge she takes “full responsibility” for her actions.
Cannon-Grant is one of several well-known BLM activists who defrauded the various social justice organizations they were responsible for leading, prompting the Department of Justice to launch an investigation into the movement, searching for potential donor fraud, following reports of mismanagement of funds.
Patrisse Cullors, who previously ran Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, spent millions in foundation funds on personal job contracts for family and friends, as well as lavish homes. She resigned in 2021 following immense backlash, but never faced any criminal repercussions. Cullors has also denied any wrongdoing.
Oklahoma City Black Lives Matter Executive Director Tashella Sheri Amore Dickerson was previously charged with 20 counts of wire fraud and five counts of money laundering in December 2025 after allegedly spending millions in donations on personal indulgences.
According to the indictment, Dickerson allegedly stole $3.15 million from a bail fund and grant money to cover shopping sprees, vacations, and cars.
Cannon-Grant is one of several BLM fraudsters who pleaded guilty to their crimes, including Tyree Conyers-Page and Xahra Saleem, who is based in the United Kingdom.
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