New Mexico could become the latest state to take a hard look at financial questions swirling around Black Lives Matter.
The state’s top lawman, Democratic Attorney General Hector Balderas, vowed to go after any charity that takes advantage of donors, and his spokeswoman said the office is working on “securing compliance” with the social justice charity.
“Our office will investigate and pursue action against any charitable organization that refuses to comply with reporting requirements, or that takes advantage of donors,” said Jerri Mares, a spokeswoman for Balderas’s office.
BLM’S MILLIONS UNACCOUNTED FOR AFTER LEADERS QUIETLY JUMPED SHIP
Black Lives Matter faces mounting legal threats from multiple states over its failure to fork over information about its $60 million bankroll. Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, the charity that serves as the face of the national BLM movement, has received legal threats from two states and must field an investigation by a third state over its failure to report its finances from 2020, the year it raked in tens of millions amid the nationwide unrest spurred by George Floyd’s killing.
In addition, BLM hasn’t had a known leader since its co-founder Patrisse Cullors resigned in May 2021, and the address the charity listed in its 2019 tax return is wrong, a Washington Examiner investigation in late January previously found.
Mares would not confirm if Balderas has opened an investigation into BLM for its registration failure, but she did say the Democratic attorney general was “securing compliance” from the group.
Mares did not say if BLM is cooperating with Balderas’s office in its effort to secure compliance.
The California Department of Justice warned BLM in a letter last Monday that it would hold the charity’s leaders “personally liable” if it continues to fundraise in the state and fails to report its 2020 finances within 60 days. California’s threat followed a notice that Washington state sent BLM on Jan. 5 ordering the group to “immediately cease” all fundraising activities until it discloses its 2020 finances.
Despite the orders from the two blue states, BLM continued soliciting and receiving charitable contributions nationwide as recently as last Wednesday, the Washington Examiner reported. BLM announced Wednesday evening it had shut down its online fundraising as it engaged “compliance counsel” to fix its registration problems, and by Friday, the group had deactivated its ActBlue fundraising pages.
The legal threats to BLM from liberal states come on the heels of years of public complaints from black activists that the charity had provided little to no financial support to local BLM activists while simultaneously providing no acceptable transparency surrounding the millions under its control.
Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita, a Republican, told Fox News on Friday he launched an investigation into BLM to find out if the organization is a “scam.”
INDIANA ATTORNEY GENERAL SAYS BLM’S ‘HOUSE OF CARDS’ STARTING TO FALL AMID FINANCIAL QUESTIONS
Representatives from New Jersey, North Carolina, and Connecticut also confirmed to the Washington Examiner that BLM could face penalties for continuing to operate in their states while out of compliance.
“Currently, Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation’s registration with the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs is delinquent,” said Gema de las Heras, a spokeswoman for the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office, Division of Consumer Affairs. “Failure to comply may result in further action by the Division. Violations of the New Jersey Charitable Registration and Investigation Act may result in penalties and fines of up to $10,000 for the first violation and $20,000 for each subsequent violation.”
Kaitlyn Krasselt, a spokeswoman for the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection, said BLM’s registration expired in the state at the end of November and that if the group failed to reinstate its registration, “the matter would be referred to our legal team, which would work with the Attorney General’s Office on the case.”
“We do not have evidence of solicitations without a registration in Connecticut at this time. No complaints have been filed with our agency,” Krasselt added.
Tim Crowley, a spokesman for the North Carolina secretary of state, said BLM’s exemption from his state’s reporting requirements expired in May 2021.
“If the agency receives information that an organization is operating outside its exemption, or an organization should be registered under North Carolina charitable solicitation laws, the agency first seeks compliance, and then the agency does have the authority to issue financial penalties,” Crowley said.
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BLM has also been ordered not to solicit contributions from residents of Colorado as of Nov. 16, 2021, according to its registration page on the Colorado secretary of state’s charities database. Representatives for the Colorado secretary of state’s office did not return requests for comment.
BLM is also out of compliance in Maryland, Maine, and Virginia, according to the respective charity registration databases for each state.
