The Boston Globe Called Her Their Hero and She Stole Every Dime She Could Find

The Boston Globe named Monica Cannon-Grant their "Bostonian of the Year" in 2020.

Now a federal judge has ordered her to pay back $224,063 in stolen money – the proceeds of a fraud scheme she ran while the Globe was busy celebrating her.

The part they didn't put in the award announcement is coming out now.

The Fraud the Globe Missed While Writing the Profile

Cannon-Grant founded Violence in Boston in 2017, claiming the nonprofit would fight crime and help struggling families in the city's toughest neighborhoods.

What she actually built was a personal ATM.

Federal prosecutors laid it out in court: Cannon-Grant and her late husband pulled in more than $1 million in donations from individuals, corporations, and city agencies – then spent it on themselves. Vacations. Car rentals. Nail salons. Restaurants. A personal checking account that happened to share a name with a nonprofit.

When the 2020 George Floyd protests turned Cannon-Grant into a national figure and money started pouring in, she kept stealing.

She diverted roughly $181,000 in donations from the nonprofit she claimed to run for the community.

She submitted forged employment documents to grab more than $33,000 in fraudulent pandemic unemployment benefits.

She lied about her household income to pocket $12,600 in rental assistance meant for Boston families who couldn't make rent.

She took a $53,977 COVID relief grant from Boston's emergency pandemic fund, pulled $30,000 of it in cash, deposited the rest into her personal accounts, and then filed a false report claiming every dollar had gone to its intended purpose.

In September 2025, Cannon-Grant pleaded guilty to 18 federal counts: wire fraud, wire fraud conspiracy, mail fraud, and filing false tax returns.

U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley didn't mince words after sentencing: "Monica Cannon-Grant's crimes were not a momentary lapse in judgment – they were a calculated pattern of deception that spanned years. She repeatedly lied to donors, government agencies, and the public, even after being caught – all while presenting herself as a champion for others. Fraud disguised as activism or charity is still fraud."

No Prison. No Accountability. Just a Bill.

Federal prosecutors asked Judge Angel Kelley for 18 months in prison.

Kelley gave her none.

The sentence: four years of probation, six months of home detention, 100 hours of community service.

Cannon-Grant walked out of Boston federal court, got into a waiting SUV, and drove away without a word to reporters.

Monday's forfeiture order – $224,063 – put the final number on what she owes.

It's a number. Not a consequence.

Americans who jaywalked near the Capitol on January 6th did harder time than Monica Cannon-Grant did for six years of calculated fraud against the city's poorest residents.

BLM's Fraud Problem Doesn't Stop in Boston

Cannon-Grant isn't a rogue bad actor in an otherwise clean movement.

She's the pattern.

In Atlanta, BLM of Greater Atlanta founder Sir Maejor Page was convicted of wire fraud and money laundering after spending donor funds on a prostitute, guns, booze, tailored suits, and a house. The Sixth Circuit upheld his conviction.

In Oklahoma City, BLM OKC executive director T. Sheri Dickerson faces 20 counts of wire fraud and five counts of money laundering. Prosecutors say she deposited $3.15 million in returned bail funds into her personal accounts – then spent it on six real estate properties, a new SUV, shopping sprees at Nordstrom and Macy's, and beach trips to Jamaica and the Dominican Republic.

At the national level, the DOJ has been investigating the BLM Global Network Foundation – the group that pulled in over $90 million after George Floyd's death – for fraud against donors. The investigation started under Biden and has accelerated since.

BLM co-founder Patrisse Cullors admitted to using the foundation's $6 million Malibu property – purchased with donor money – for personal parties, including her son's birthday celebration.

Every time, the story is the same: raise money in the name of the community, spend it on yourself, dare anyone to say something.

The media celebrated them. The donors funded them. The federal government is finally catching up.

Monica Cannon-Grant stole from the same Boston families she told the Globe she was saving.

The Globe gave her a trophy for it.

---

Sources:

• Kamden Mulder, "BLM Activist Named 'Bostonian of the Year' Ordered to Pay Back over $200,000 in Stolen Funds," National Review, March 24, 2026.
• Abby Patkin, "Monica Cannon-Grant Ordered to Pay More Than $224K Over Fraud Charges," Boston.com, March 24, 2026.
• Shannon Larson, "Ex-Community Activist Monica Cannon-Grant Ordered to Pay More Than $224,000 in Federal Fraud Case," The Boston Globe, March 23, 2026.
• "Boston Activist Monica Cannon-Grant Sentenced in Federal Fraud Case," NBC Boston, January 30, 2026.
• Mike LaChance, "Boston BLM Fraudster Who Scammed More Than $100,000 Gets Sentenced to ZERO Jail Time," Gateway Pundit, January 30, 2026.
• "Sixth Circuit Upholds Convictions of BLM Nonprofit Charlatan," Tax Notes, 2025.
• "Oklahoma City Black Lives Matter Leader Indicted on Embezzlement, Money Laundering Charges," Oklahoma Voice, December 12, 2025.
• "Justice Department Investigating Fraud Allegations Against Black Lives Matter Leaders," PBS NewsHour, October 30, 2025.