Photo left via Twitter/Photo right, Fox 5 Atlanta screenshot
The federal trial of Tyree Conyers-Page, also known as Sir Maejor Page and formerly the head of the nonprofit Black Lives Matter (BLM) of Greater Atlanta, has entered a critical phase as the jury prepares to deliberate following a week of compelling testimony. The trial began April 4. The case went to the jury April 9. Page was arrested in September 2020.
Page, 35, faces charges of wire fraud and money laundering brought by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio. Prosecutors allege that Page exploited increased donations following George Floyd’s murder by police to finance his own personal lifestyle, including purchasing a home and firearms, Fox 5 Atlanta reported.
During the trial, Page took the stand and testified for nearly three hours in his defense, denying any deliberate intent to mislead donors, the Toledo Blade reported. He defended some of his personal expenditures as a “reasonable salary” for managing the organization, despite admitting that he never consulted with anyone from the organization about his pay.
Prosecutors, however, painted a different picture, highlighting that Page’s personal expenses included food, dining, entertainment, clothing, furniture, a home security system, tailored suits, and accessories, all funded by donations meant for BLM.
Prosecutors allege that he created a fictitious BLM sub-organization, “Black Lives Matter of Greater Atlanta Inc.,” and received nearly $500,000 in donations after linking the organization’s bank account to Facebook’s birthday donation feature, The New York Post reported. Despite claiming that none of the funds would be used for personal means, Page allegedly used the BLMGA account’s debit card for personal expenses, including purchasing a home valued at approximately $112,000 and firearms.
Photo left via Twitter, https://twitter.com/Maejor4Congress?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor/Photo right, Fox 5 Atlanta screenshot, https://www.fox5atlanta.com/weather
