A man in Ohio has been arrested after creating a bogus Black Lives Matter charity and spending more than $200,000 in donations on various items, including a house, suits and guns, according to federal authorities. Sir Maejor Page, 32, also known as Tyree Conyers-Page, was arrested Friday following a raid at a Toledo, Ohio, home, said the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
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 this 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.
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In June, 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, 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.
Page appeared in court on Friday on charges of wire fraud and money laundering in the case. He has been released on a $10,000 bond, but he has been barred from using Facebook or any fundraising platform, New York Post reported. Page cannot also open lines of credit or bank accounts without permission, the report said.
