BLM leader sentenced to 42 months in prison for buying luxury goods with donations
The fake activist, Tyree Conyers-Page, raised money through a Facebook page he created while posing as someone extremely committed to racial causes.
Black Lives Matter movement demonstration.
Tyree Conyers-Page, a former leader of the Black Lives Matter movement in the city of Atlanta, was sentenced by a judge to 42 months in prison after using donation funds to purchase luxury items. He was found guilty on charges of wire fraud and money laundering following a trial that began in April.
According to the verdict, Tyree Conyers-Page, whose real name is Sir Maejor Page, set up a charitable fundraising scheme intended for the BLM movement. Conyers-Page managed to defraud close to half a million dollars.
According to the Department of Justice (DOJ), Conyers-Page collected donations for his suppsed social justice charity through the Facebook page he created for BLM Greater Atlanta.
On social media, he portrayed himself as an individual extremely affected by racial inequalities and very committed to the BLM cause. He is an albino African-American minority.
Facebook has a feature which allows groups or individuals to raise money for different causes, which is what Conyers-Page set up. Eventually, his tax-exempt status was revoked for failing to file IRS Form 990 for three consecutive years but Conyers-Page continued raising money.
He regularly posted content on Facebook about social and racial issues to make his nonprofit seem legitimate, even though it was no longer tax-exempt.
He also used Facebook to send private messages and falsely claim that their donations would be used to "fight for George Floyd" and the "movement." As a result, approximately 18,000 people made donations to the BLM of Greater Atlanta charity through his Facebook account.
However, as the DOJ details, Conyers-Page used the donations "for his own personal benefit." He purchased "entertainment, hotel rooms, clothing, firearms" and a property he intended to use as a personal residence. He attempted to conceal the purchase of the property by using the name "Hi Frequency Ohio" and asked the seller to sign a confidentiality agreement that would have prevented him from listing Page as a buyer.
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