A Black Lives Matter activist recently accepted a plea deal after being accused of mismanaging taxpayer funds intended for her nonprofit by funneling the money to family members and their businesses.
Faith Shields-Dixon, the founder of Faith4Hope Scholarship Fund, will plead guilty to three of the five felony charges filed against her. Shields-Dixon’s intention to sign the plea deal was first reported by a North Dakota-based news outlet, InForum, citing an October 1 agreement. Prosecutors recommend that Shields-Dixon serve eleven months for her crime, with the opportunity to participate in a work release program.
She is accused of accepting $350,000 in grant funding to support the Faith4Hope Scholarship Fund, at which time she diverted $124,000 to family members and their personal businesses. Although Shields-Dixon has agreed to sign the plea deal, she said that the details of her exact crimes will only be revealed at the sentencing.
“There, my attorneys and I will explain exactly what did and did not happen with respect to the grant funding I accepted from the city of Fargo and state of North Dakota,” Shields-Dixon said in a statement. “Then — and only then — should anyone draw any conclusions about me, my family and the decisions I made in this matter.”
Her attorneys are asking that the charges be dropped down to misdemeanors and that the defendant only serve four months in jail.
Of the $124,000, court documents revealed that Shields-Dixon used to the money to fund her father’s food stand, Diezel Double Barrel BBQ, as well as her brother’s production company, Revolution Records. She also contributed funds to Be The Light Dance Studio, owned by Tekeema Shields.
This case is one of the many examples of BLM groups and nonprofits being accused of mismanaging funds.
The Black Lives Matter group itself has also faced financial scrutiny. It was reported in 2023 that only 33 percent of donations to the Black Lives Matter organization were given to charities, while the rest was used for expenses — such as security services and mansions — as well as paying executives’ exorbitant salaries.
The group’s co-founder and head of Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, Patrisse Cullors, was also criticized for her mismanagement of BLM funding. It was revealed that BLMGNF used millions to buy personal properties for the group’s founders and their family members.
Shields-Dixon’s plea deal must be accepted by Burleigh County District Judge Bobbi Weiler, and the date for that hearing is set for October 20.