Tashella Sheri Amore Dickerson, executive director of Black Lives Matter Oklahoma City, has been indicted on federal wire fraud and money laundering charges for allegedly diverting more than $3.15 million in donor funds intended to support bail and related social justice efforts. Prosecutors say she instead spent the money on personal travel, shopping, food deliveries, a vehicle and real estate.
Federal prosecutors have charged Tashella Sheri Amore Dickerson, 52, the executive director of Black Lives Matter Oklahoma City, with wire fraud and money laundering in what they describe as a years‑long embezzlement scheme.
According to an indictment unsealed by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Oklahoma on December 11, 2025, Dickerson is accused of misusing at least $3.15 million between June 2020 and October 2025.
The indictment alleges that, although Black Lives Matter OKC (BLMOKC) was not a registered tax‑exempt organization, it accepted charitable donations through the Arizona‑based Alliance for Global Justice, which served as its fiscal sponsor and required that funds be used only for tax‑exempt purposes under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
Prosecutors say BLMOKC raised more than $5.6 million beginning in 2020, largely from online donors and from national bail and justice funds that were intended to support pretrial bail and related assistance for people arrested in connection with racial justice protests following the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Those funds, including money from groups such as the Community Justice Exchange, the Massachusetts Bail Fund and the Minnesota Freedom Fund routed through the Alliance for Global Justice, were supposed to be used consistent with those purposes.
Instead, the indictment alleges, Dickerson deposited at least $3.15 million in returned bail checks into her personal accounts rather than into BLMOKC accounts and used the money for her own benefit. Prosecutors say the funds paid 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 six real properties in Oklahoma City deeded either to her or to Equity International, LLC, a company she allegedly controlled.
The charging documents further allege that Dickerson used interstate wire communications to submit two false annual reports to the Alliance for Global Justice on behalf of BLMOKC, stating that the funds were used only for tax‑exempt purposes and failing to disclose the alleged personal spending.
On December 3, 2025, a federal grand jury returned a 25‑count indictment charging Dickerson with 20 counts of wire fraud and five counts of money laundering, according to the Justice Department. Each wire fraud count carries a potential sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000, while each money laundering count carries up to 10 years in prison and similar fines if she is convicted.
The FBI’s Oklahoma City Field Office and IRS Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation, according to federal authorities. The Justice Department emphasized that the charges are allegations and that Dickerson is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
In a Facebook Live video posted after the indictment was announced, Dickerson said she was not in custody and declined to comment in detail on the case, stating that she was home, safe and had confidence in her team, according to coverage by the Associated Press and other outlets.
Black Lives Matter Oklahoma City describes itself as part of the broader Black Lives Matter movement, which campaigns against systemic racism and state violence toward Black communities.
