The executive director of Black Lives Matter (BLM) Oklahoma City (OKC), Tashella Sheri Amore Dickerson, has been charged by federal prosecutors with wire fraud and money laundering for allegedly diverting more than $3.15 million in returned bail checks into her personal accounts.
According to the indictment unsealed Thursday, Dickerson, 52, routed money intended for the group’s bail fund and social justice programs into accounts she controlled between June 2020 and October 2025.
Prosecutors allege 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.
- The purchase of a vehicle and six real properties.
BLM OKC raised over $5.6 million since 2020, much of it from major national grants. These funds were routed through the Alliance for Global Justice (AFGJ), BLM OKC's fiscal sponsor, which required that all money be used strictly for tax-exempt purposes and prohibited unauthorized real estate purchases.
The indictment states that Dickerson instead deposited at least $3.15 million in returned bail checks into her personal accounts. She allegedly used interstate wires to submit annual reports to the AFGJ that "did not disclose" her personal use of the funds, falsely claiming the money had been used only for tax-exempt purposes.
A federal grand jury returned a 25-count indictment against Dickerson, charging her with 20 counts of wire fraud and five counts of money laundering. She faces up to 20 years in prison for each wire fraud count and up to 10 years for each money laundering count.
This incident follows earlier scrutiny of the separate national organization, Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, which came under fire in 2022 after reports revealed it had purchased a $6 million California property using donor funds.
When contacted about the charges, a spokesperson for the national Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation stated the organization operates independently of local chapters, emphasizing a "model of decentralized leadership."