Monica Cannon-Grant and her husband have been again in courtroom, pleading not responsible to the expanded raft of federal expenses the controversial former Boston nonprofit activist now faces.
Cannon-Grant, 42, and her husband, Clark Grant, 39, solely have been in courtroom remotely for a listening to that lasted round 10 minutes on Monday, in response to authorities following the courtroom occasion that wasn’t publicly obtainable attributable to a technological snafu, however the pair entered the pleas of not responsible which can be typical for arraignments.
The couple was initially charged practically a full yr in the past on March 15, 2022, with 18-fraud associated counts that hinged on three distinct conspiracy allegations. The first is the misuse of donations to the couple’s charity Violence in Boston for private use, the second is the misuse of public funds — together with the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program — and the third is alleged fraud associated to the mortgage on the couple’s Taunton residence.
The pair now face a complete of 27 fraud-related counts in a brand new indictment issued final Thursday night: Three counts wire fraud conspiracy; one rely conspiracy; one rely mail fraud, aiding and abetting; 16 counts wire fraud, aiding and abetting; one rely making false statements to a mortgage lending enterprise, aiding and abetting; two counts submitting false tax returns; two counts failure to file tax returns; and allegations of each wire and mail fraud forfeiture and mortgage fraud forfeiture.
“From 2017 to 2021, Cannon-Grant and Clark Grant, through VIB fundraising, solicited and received over a million dollars in donations and grants from individuals, charitable institutions, and other entities,” the brand new indictment states, and throughout 52 pages alleges misuse of a lot of those funds, typically to counterpoint themselves. The different expenses are to alleged misuse of public monies by utilizing their charity as a conduit.
The new wire fraud expenses come from allegations that the couple ripped off the Boston Resiliency Fund with out the town’s permission or information, together with for their very own private profit — together with to fraudulently get hold of rental help funds from Boston’s Office of Housing Stability.
Cannon-Grant was a controversial determine within the Boston political scene for years, garnering plaudits from some attributable to her anti-violence work and efforts to feed native youths — but in addition taking flak for her profane assaults on individuals she disagreed with and peddling of conspiracy theories.
The couple is subsequent due in courtroom May 19.
Source: www.bostonherald.com”