Washington, D.C.'s attorney general says anti-police activists misused more than $75,000 in donations to pay for a lavish vacation in Cancun and several shopping sprees, costing his only employee “tens of thousands of dollars in earned wages.” He claimed that he had been defrauded. Monday.
Washington, D.C., Attorney General Brian Schwalb has accused Brandon Anderson and his “police transparency and accountability” nonprofit Raheem AI of violating the district's workers' rights and charitable organizations laws. The complaint alleges that supporters who “fund the police” “used charitable funds to support them.” his luxurious lifestyle. ”
“Brandon Anderson misused charitable donations to fund lavish vacations and shopping, and the Raheem AI Board of Directors forgave him.” Schwalb said in a statement..
“Not only did their financial abuse violate fundamental principles of nonprofit governance, but Mr. Anderson and Mr. Raheem AI failed to pay their employees the wages they earned,” the attorney general added. “My office will not allow people to violate the law, defraud taxpayers, or steal from workers under the guise of a noble cause.”
Anderson, self-proclaimed advocate of police abolitionlaunched Raheem AI in 2017 with the goal of “equipping crisis responders in Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities with the tools, training, connections, and funding they need to provide care.” Established.
Raheem AI aimed to create an emergency calling app that would allow people wary of police to avoid calling 911 in times of crisis.
Anderson's nonprofit organization received more than $4.3 million in donations before the app project “succumbed,” the paper reported. new york times.
Former Raheem AI staffer Jasmine Banks told the outlet in August that she discovered credit card records detailing Anderson's lavish spending after the nonprofit stopped paying her payroll.
Schwalb alleges that Anderson raided Raheem AI's safe for personal use starting in 2021.
The complaint against Mr. Anderson and Mr. Raheem alleges more than $40,000 in rent for the mansion and penthouse apartment, more than $10,000 in personal travel, including a trip to a resort in Cancun, and purchases from luxury retailers such as Bottega Veneta. It details a $10,000 “officer clothing allowance” to be used for , Alexander McQueen, Bloomingdale's, Farfetch, Saks, and $5,000 to Emergency Veterinary Services.
The complaint also alleges that Anderson and Raheem AI violated the District's nonprofit corporation law, wage collection law, and noncompete agreement law.
According to the complaint, Raheem AI has not had a financial officer since 2020, “giving Mr. Anderson unlimited financial control.”
“The board also failed to take any action to oversee the organization's finances, including Mr. Anderson's corruption,” Schwalb said.
Raheem AI also has not paid the bank “tens of thousands of dollars in earned wages” since April, when he notified the nonprofit's board of directors about Anderson's possible misconduct, according to the DC AG.
The lawsuit also alleges that Banks was forced to sign an “unlawful” non-compete clause as part of the terms of his employment.
“It's heartbreaking, but I believe it was a fraud from the beginning,” Banks told The New York Times in August about Raheem AI and Anderson.
Anderson did not respond to The Post's request for comment.
