(WKBN) — A Toledo, Ohio, man was sentenced to federal prison after he was convicted of wire fraud and money laundering in connection with his nonprofit Black Lives Matter of Greater Atlanta.
Sir Maejor Page, 35, was sentenced to 42 months in prison after being found guilty of collecting donations through Facebook for the BLM movement after his tax-exempt status was revoked for failure to submit IRS paperwork for three years in a row.
He regularly posted on Facebook about social and racial issues to give his nonprofit the “appearance of legitimacy, despite no longer being tax-exempt” and falsely told supporters that donations would be used to “fight for George Floyd and the “movement,” prosecutors said.
Page then used the money for entertainment, hotel rooms, clothing, firearms and property he intended to use as his private residence, according to prosecutors. He attempted to conceal the purchase of the property by using the name “Hi Frequency Ohio” and asked the seller to sign a nondisclosure agreement that would have prevented the seller from listing Page as the actual buyer, prosecutors said.
“Mr. Page took advantage of a cause meant to fight social injustices, using it instead to line his own pockets with thousands of dollars of donations,” U.S. Attorney Rebecca C. Lutzko for the Northern District of Ohio said in a news release. “People donate their hard-earned money to support causes they believe in, and when a fraudster like Page comes along and tries to get away with a fake charity scheme, it hurts legitimate nonprofit organizations that rely on the generosity of others to advance their missions and make positive change in the world. This Office will hold accountable those who try to profit by scamming unsuspecting people out of their money like Page did here.”
As a result, approximately 18,000 people donated to the BLM of Greater Atlanta charity through its Facebook account, which Page administered.