TOLEDO, Ohio – An Atlanta-based activist and actor has been arrested for fraudulently utilizing a Black Lives Matter non-profit and posing as an organization leader, according to the Cleveland Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
According to the FBI, Tyree Conyers-Page, 32, also known as Sir Maejor Page spent over $200,000 on personal items generated from donations received from a Black Lives Matter social media page with “no identifiable purchase or expenditure for social or racial justice.”
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“An investigation was initiated and determined that Page had created and operated a social media page by the name Black Lives Matter of Greater Atlanta (BLMGA),” The FBI said in a statement. “Page set up the BLMGA as a non-profit organization, capable of accepting monetary donations. BLMGA was also listed as a non-profit organization with the fundraising website GoFundMe.”
The FBI said a bank account named “Black Lives Matter of Greater Atlanta, Inc.” was opened in 2018 and Page was the only signatory on the account.
“From April 2018 until May 2020, the account balance for this account ebbed and flowed; however, it never had a balance that exceeded $5,000 and at one time had a balance of -$12.42,” The FBI said in a statement. “In June 2020, BLMGA’s social media page received approximately $36,493.80 in donations; in July 2020, it received approximately $370,933.69 in donations; and in August 2020, an additional $59,914.69 in donations. All of this 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.”
In June 2020, the FBI said Page responded to private social media messages about donated funds used to fight for George Floyd, a Black man killed by police in Minneapolis, and said that none of “the funds have been used for personal items. All movement-related.”
“The largest sum purchase was made from the BLMGA bank account to a title company on Aug. 21, 2020, for the purchase of a residence and an adjacent vacant lot in Toledo, Ohio,” The FBI said. “The total purchase price for both properties was approximately $112,000. Page attempted to conceal his ownership in this real estate transaction stating in the non-disclosure agreement that it was to be entered ‘by and between Hi Frequency Ohio via Sir Maejor Page’ and the seller’s agent.”
The FBI said Page used a debit card, linked to the same account, repeatedly to purchase items related to food, dining, entertainment clothing, furniture, a home security system, tailored suits and accessories.
In early September 2020, Page used a personal bank account in his name to accept a transfer of funds from the BLMGA account to purchase a pistol and two rifles.
Page posted numerous videos and showcased newly purchased items on live-streams on social media platforms, the FBI said.
Page was taken into custody at his residence in Toledo, Ohio, and has been charged with one count of wire fraud and two counts of money laundering.
Page had an initial appearance before United States Magistrate Judge James R. Kneep II on Sept. 25.
The FBI said the investigation is currently still ongoing.