AT A GLANCE
• Oklahoma City’s longtime BLM OKC leader faces 25 federal counts
• Prosecutors say more than $3 million in donor funds were embezzled
• Money allegedly used on vacations, groceries, vehicles, and real estate
• Dickerson denies wrongdoing in Facebook Live video
Prosecutors Say BLM OKC Leader Used Money For Luxury Spending
Federal prosecutors have charged the longtime head of Black Lives Matter OKC with siphoning millions in donor funds into personal spending, accusing her of turning money meant for bail support and protest-related aid into a private stream of getaway trips, groceries, and real estate.
Tashella Sheri Amore Dickerson, 52, was indicted earlier this month on 20 counts of wire fraud and five counts of money laundering. Court records list no attorney, and attempts to reach Dickerson by phone and email on Thursday went unanswered.
According to the indictment, Dickerson has served as executive director of BLM OKC since at least 2016. The group collected charitable donations through its affiliation with the Arizona-based Alliance for Global Justice. Prosecutors say BLM OKC raised more than $5.6 million beginning in 2020, largely from online donors and national bail funds intended to support people arrested during racial justice protests following the murder of George Floyd.
Instead of using those refunded bail dollars for organizational purposes, federal prosecutors allege Dickerson embezzled at least $3.15 million into her personal accounts. The indictment claims the money was spent on trips to Jamaica and the Dominican Republic, retail shopping sprees, more than $50,000 in groceries and food deliveries, a personal vehicle, and six Oklahoma City properties purchased in her name or the name of a company she controlled. She is also accused of filing false annual reports to the Alliance for Global Justice to hide the alleged spending.
If convicted, Dickerson faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine per wire fraud count, as well as up to 10 years and additional fines for each money laundering charge.
Hours after the indictment became public, Dickerson went live on Facebook to insist she was not in custody and declined to address the allegations directly.
“I cannot make an official comment about what transpired today,” she said. “I am home. I am safe. I have confidence in our team.”
She added that scrutiny often follows people “doing the work,” suggesting the charges were a reaction to her activism.
The Black Lives Matter movement emerged in 2013 after the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the killing of Trayvon Martin, gaining national force after the police killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson the following year. The phrase became a nationwide call for racial justice and a consistent political flashpoint.
In October, the Justice Department confirmed it was investigating whether BLM leaders misused tens of millions in donations collected during the 2020 protests. There is no indication Dickerson’s indictment is linked to that broader probe.
