The Black Lives Matter organization has come under heavy financial scrutiny recently, as tax records and other evidence show alleged misuse of funds.
These documents indicate that potentially millions of donations have made high-ranking members of the group rich, and critics claim the entire organization is a scam that preys on “social justice.”
Unsurprisingly, many Democrat leaders support the group — but one former BLM-backed politician is now headed to jail.
Karen Carter Peterson was a Democratic Party chair and state senator in Louisiana, but she resigned last April citing mental health issues and an ongoing gambling addiction.
Then a month later, she was charged with committing $140,000 worth of wire fraud: she was accused of funneling campaign and party funds to other individuals and outside companies, and using the money herself.
Peterson is the only federal candidate Black Lives Matter has officially supported since 2021.
From Fox News:
A former Black Lives Matter-backed Democratic candidate has been sentenced to 22 months in prison.
Karen Carter Peterson, a former Louisiana Democratic Party chair and state senator, received the sentence on Wednesday after pleading guilty to a wire fraud charge that included routing more than $140,000 in campaign and party funds to outside individuals and companies and using the money on personal expenses, including gambling.
Peterson ran the scam for a whopping 7 years, during which time she quietly diverted campaign cash. She ran them through third parties and then wound up with “most or all of the funds.”
Later, she filed “false and misleading” campaign finance reports where she tried to hide her personal expenses while holding office.
Peterson continued to cite her gambling problem and apologized for her “compulsive behavior” that was driven by this addiction. But as of March 6, she’ll be in federal prison for nearly 2 years.
Back in July 2021, the Black Lives Matter PAC forked over more than $100,000 to support Peterson’s attempt at Congress.
She failed in that attempt to nab the seat in Louisiana’s 2nd district and since then, her life appears to have spiraled downward. And BLM’s support of her likely doesn’t reflect well on the group.
This certainly isn’t the first time a politician has been caught stealing campaign funds and using them for personal expenses.
However, Peterson’s connection to BLM is making headlines in this case — when money illegally disappears, critics point out that BLM often appears to be involved in some capacity.
Key Takeaways:
- A BLM-backed former Democrat is going to federal prison.
- Karen Carter Peterson was sentenced to 22 months for a wire fraud scheme that stretched for 7 years.
- Peterson reportedly stole over $140K in campaign funds for personal expenses, and to support her gambling addiction.
