Indiana‘s attorney general criticized Black Lives Matter, calling it a “house of cards” and making his state the latest to raise questions about the charity’s finances.
Todd Rokita told the Washington Examiner the group that took in tens of millions of dollars amid the racial protests and riots of 2020, and now won’t answer questions about its finances, fits a common and disturbing pattern.
“It appears that the house of cards may be falling, and this happens eventually with nearly every scam, scheme, or illegal enterprise,” Rokita, a Republican, said in an exclusive interview. “I see patterns that scams kind of universally take: failure to provide board members, failure to provide even executive directors, failure to make your filings available. It all leads to suspicion.”
BLM reported in February 2021 that it closed out 2020 with $60 million in its coffers, but the charity has had no known leader in charge of its bankroll since its co-founder Patrisse Cullors resigned in May amid scrutiny of her personal finances. The group also provided the wrong address on previous tax forms submitted to the IRS, and one of BLM’s board members recently took steps to conceal his role with the charity on his social media profiles, a Washington Examiner investigation previously found.
Rokita said he would not confirm or deny whether his office is investigating BLM, but he said the Washington Examiner’s reporting on the group “certainly cause us to be concerned.”
California and Washington recently instructed the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, the charity that represents the national BLM movement, to cease soliciting funds from residents of their states until the group gives them information about its 2020 finances.
“BLMGNF is prohibited from soliciting donations so long as its status is listed as delinquent,” the California Department of Justice told the Washington Examiner.
Despite the warnings from Washington and California, BLM continues to solicit funds from people in both states.
A resident in Washington state confirmed to the Washington Examiner that he was able to donate $1 to the group Monday evening, and a Washington Examiner reporter based in California was able to donate $1 to the charity Wednesday morning.
California threatened BLM in a letter Monday that it would hold its leaders personally liable if it doesn’t disclose the charity’s finances to the state within the next 60 days, and Washington notified the group in early January that the group could face fines upwards of $2,000 for each contribution it receives while it’s out of compliance.
BLM’s charity registration is also out of compliance in Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, and Virginia.
*story by The Washington Examiner