A former Oklahoma City Black Lives Matter leader has been charged with wire fraud and money laundering involving more than $3 million, federal prosecutors said.
A federal grand jury has indicted Tashella Sheri Amore Dickerson, who served as executive director of Black Lives Matter in Oklahoma City.
Dickerson, 52, was indicted this week on 25 counts, including 20 counts of wire fraud and five counts of money laundering, according to U.S. Attorney Robert Troester.
Prosecutors allege Dickerson used her leadership position at Black Lives Matter OKC to gain access to the organization’s bank, PayPal, and Cash App accounts, then diverted millions in donations and grant funds for her personal use.
Investigators said Black Lives Matter OKC was not a registered tax-exempt nonprofit but accepted donations through a fiscal sponsorship arrangement with the Arizona-based Alliance for Global Justice, which required the funds to be used only for approved charitable purposes and fully accounted for.
Beginning in late spring 2020, prosecutors said the organization raised more than $5.6 million from online donors and national bail funds, including the Community Justice Exchange, the Massachusetts Bail Fund, and the Minnesota Freedom Fund.
The indictment alleges those funds were intended to post bail for individuals arrested during racial justice protests following the death of George Floyd, and in some cases to establish a revolving bail fund or support social justice work as allowed under federal tax law.
Instead, prosecutors allege that between June 2020 and at least October 2025, Dickerson deposited at least $3.15 million in returned bail checks into her personal accounts rather than into organizational accounts.
She is charged with using the money for recreational travel to Jamaica and the Dominican Republic for Dickerson and associates, tens of thousands of dollars in retail shopping, at least $50,000 in food and grocery deliveries for herself and her children, the purchase of a personal vehicle registered in her name, and the acquisition of six properties in Oklahoma City.
Those properties were allegedly deeded either in Dickerson’s name or to Equity International LLC, an entity prosecutors say she exclusively controlled.
The indictment also alleges Dickerson submitted false annual reports to the Alliance for Global Justice using interstate communications, claiming funds were used only for tax-exempt purposes while failing to disclose personal spending.
If convicted, Dickerson faces up to 20 years in prison on each wire fraud count and up to 10 years on each money laundering count, along with potential fines.
Jim Mishler ✉
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