He calls himself Sir Maejor Page but he was born Tyree Conyers-Page, and he’d taken meetings with some of Atlanta’s most distinguished black leaders as a member of the Black Lives Matter of Atlanta movement before forming Black Lives Matter of Greater Atlanta in 2016.
The latter group was apparently bilked out of approximately $200K in donations as Page allegedly used donations for personal expenses such as clothing, meals, hotel rooms, office space, and even a home in Ohio.
He was arrested Friday in Toledo, OH and charged with one count of wire fraud and two counts of money laundering.
Between June and August, however, Page is accused of using a debit card linked to the account to buy food, entertainment, tailored suits and a new security system. An investigation was launched after authorities received a complaint that Page was fraudulently using the account to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for himself, officials said.
“Numerous videos and livestream videos were posted to Page’s personal social media pages showing himself in what appeared to be newly purchased clothing, hotel rooms and office space in Atlanta,” the FBI said in its release. “Several audio statements are made by Page in the videos boasting about the money he has, his tailored suits, his nice cufflinks and ‘$150 dollar ties.’”
Page is also accused of spending $112,000 on a home and adjacent lot in Toledo, Ohio, and transferring donations into his personal account to buy a pistol and two rifles earlier this month. In all, the 32-year-old is accused of spending more than $200,000 in donations with “no identifiable purchase or expenditure for social or racial justice,” the FBI said.
For two years beginning in 2018, the group’s balance — it took in donations using a GoFundMe account linked to a Facebook page Page administered — never exceeded $5K. But following the death of George Floyd, donations began rolling in and BLM of Greater Atlanta reportedly raised nearly half a million dollars. The funds were transferred to an account owned and managed by Page.
The Toledo FBI said donors were promised their contributions would be used “for George Floyd” but Page is accused of using over half on himself alone.
Page, for what its worth, had been active in the Atlanta BLM movement since 2016 and was captured in photos and on film at press conferences with city leaders. In 2019, BLM of Greater Atlanta lost its tax exempt status for failing to file 990s with IRS. The group and Page have been banned from using GoFundMe.
