Sir Maejor Page, a white man who set up a bogus account to fund Black Lives Matter movement, was arrested after he spent $200,000 donations for buying weapons, house and clothes, among other things. Page had created a Facebook page called Black Lives Matter of Greater Atlanta on which he sought donations through a GoFundMe account.
The Black Lives Matter movement gained momentum in the last few months following the death of black man George Floyd. For months now, the protests have been raging across different states in the US.
Page Said Money Would Be Used to 'Fight For George Floyd'
In 2018, Page, who is also known as Tyree Conyers-Page, had opened a bank account for BLMGA with no other signatory except him. Till May this year, the amount in the account never went beyond $5,000. According to the federal investigators, Page had misled the BLM supporters by claiming that the donated money was focused on the 'fight for George Floyd.'
In June, BLMGA received $36,493.80 worth of donations. It increased to $370,933.69 in July and $59,914.69 in August, reported NBC 24.
The entire money was transferred from the social media donations to the bank account titled and operated in the name of 'Black Lives Matter of Greater Atlanta, Inc', owned and operated by Page," the FBI said in a statement.
Quoting the federal agency, the Fox 23 reported that Page used the fund money to purchase a 'security system that cost $1,310, tailored suits and accessories totaling $2,065, furniture purchases totaling more than $12,000, Walmart purchases totaling more than $4,000 and Home Depot charges of $2,125.67.'
GoFundMe Bans Page From Any Fund Raiser in Future
Page, 32, who claimed to be a actor, used to post a number of videos on his personal social media accounts boasting about newly purchased clothing, hotel rooms and office space in Atlanta. "Several audio statements are made by Page in the videos boasting about the money he has, his tailored suits, his nice cufflinks and '$150 ties," the FBI said in its statement.
According to WSB-TV, Page also bought a pistol and two rifles using the money from his personal bank account which was linked to the BLMGA account. The authorities arrested Page in Toledo, Ohio, where he had recently bought a $112,000 house, reported the outlet. He was charged on counts of money laundering and wore fraud.
The outlet further reported that following Page's arrest, GoFundMe, while announcing that it has banned Page from using the social platform for any future projects, said that it has removed all fundraisers related to BLMGA organization. The social platform further stated that those who donated to the BLMGA campaign can seek a refund of the donated amount.
