Tyree Conyers-Page, the former head of Black Lives Matter of Greater Atlanta, was handed a 42-month prison sentence after he was found guilty of wire fraud and money laundering.
Per FOX 5 Atlanta, Conyers-Page, who also goes by the name Sir Maejor Page, allegedly spent money donated to his organization for his own lifestyle. The funds in question were donated via Facebook, and Conyers-Page spent it on travel, personal items, and a home in Toledo, Ohio.
Conyers-Page’s conviction comes after he was found guilty of one count of wire fraud and three counts of money laundering in April. He was arrested in 2020 after a raid at a Toledo, Ohio, home, the FBI said.
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During his trial, Conyers-Page told the court that the money he used for his personal benefit was a portion of a “reasonable salary” for running the establishment. He, however, told prosecutors that he did not have any conversation with anyone in the organization about his salary structure.
Conyers-Page created social media and GoFundMe pages under the name Black Lives Matter of Greater Atlanta (BLMGA), stating that it was non-profit, the FBI said in a news release.
In 2018, a bank account was set up for BLMGA with Page as the sole signatory, the release added. The amount of money in the bank account never surpassed $5,000 until June when BLMGA social media page started receiving massive donations amid protests in the wake of the death of George Floyd in May, federal authorities said.
In June 2018, the BLMGA social media page received $36,493.80 in donations, followed by $370,933.69 in July and $59,914.69 in August. The money was transferred from the social media page to Page’s BLMGA bank account, said the FBI.
Page indicated on the BLMGA social media page that the donations would be used to seek justice for Floyd but federal officials say that during that period — June, July, and August — Page used a debit card tied to the bank account on items for himself. He bought a home in Toledo and an adjacent lot for $112,000, clothing, home security system, furniture, among other purchases.
In September, the FBI said Page transferred money from the BLMGA account to his personal bank account to buy a pistol and two other guns. He then went on his personal social media accounts to “boast” about “the money he has, his tailored suits, his nice cufflinks and ‘$150 dollar ties’,” according to authorities.
In total, Page spent more than $200,000 in donations on personal items, “with no identifiable purchase or expenditure for social or racial justice,” said the FBI.
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