FOLLOWING THE MONEY: DoJ orders BLM leaders to disclose details of $60M in donations
A notice issued by the California Department of Justice reprimands Black Lives Matter leaders for not disclosing details of the foundation's financial records. According to the notice, leaders of the charity could be held personally liable if they fail to disclose the details about the charity’s $60 million in donations within the next 60 days.
The notice comes just days after it was revealed that the charity has no one in charge of its finances ever since co-founder Patrisse Cullors resigned in May last year. California DoJ also accused the charity of failing to submit its annual financial reports and alleged it was in delinquent status. The Department of Justice also requested a copy of the charity’s annual registration renewal reports along with its IRS tax forms for the year 2020 within two months. 2020 was also the year when BLM confirmed to have $60 million in their bank accounts.
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The letter also threatened to revoke the charity’s tax-exempt status if the organization fails to submit the requested documents. Further, the charity could also face fines for each month or partial month for which the report(s) are delinquent. “An organization that is delinquent, suspended or revoked is not in good standing and is prohibited from engaging in conduct for which registration is required, including soliciting or disbursing charitable funds,” the notice reads.
In the letter obtained by the Washington Examiner, the DoJ threatened that “directors, trustees, officers and return preparers” would be “personally liable” for “all penalties, interest and other costs incurred to restore exempt status”. The DOJ further notes that “charitable assets cannot be used to pay these avoidable costs”.
Black Lives Matter foundation was formed in 2013 by Patrisse Cullors, Alicia Garza and Opal Tometi. The organization formally has no leader and most chapters act autonomously as a decentralized international network of 40 local-based chapters that build power to bring justice, healing, and freedom to the Black people. BLM advocates for the eradication of systematic racism to prevent police violence across the globe. As of now, it is unclear who is running the finances of the activist group especially after all its three founding members left the organization.