A Boston-based Black Lives Matter activist who admitted stealing more than $100,000 to bankroll a lavish lifestyle was sentenced to zero jail time this week, drawing criticism after federal prosecutors sought prison time.
Monica Cannon-Grant, 44, a prominent BLM activist and founder of the Boston nonprofit Violence in Boston, was sentenced Thursday in federal court to four years of probation, according to the Department of Justice.
She was also ordered to pay $106,003 in restitution.
Cannon-Grant pleaded guilty in September 2025 to 18 of 27 counts, including wire fraud, mail fraud, and failure to file tax returns.
The charges stemmed from a scheme in which Cannon-Grant and her late husband, Clark Grant, diverted donations and public funds intended for anti-violence work for personal use.
Federal prosecutors had urged Angel Kelley to sentence Cannon-Grant to 18 months in prison.
The judge declined the request and opted for a slap on the wrist instead.
Nicolas Bucciarelli, the acting inspector in charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Boston Division, said:
“Ms. Cannon-Grant’s actions were crimes of greed and opportunity.”
According to prosecutors, Cannon-Grant admitted to using thousands of dollars in donations to Violence in Boston to cover personal expenses; defrauding the City of Boston out of pandemic relief and rental assistance funds; defrauding the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office of Community Reinvestment Grant funds; filing false tax returns; and failing to file tax returns for two years.
Authorities said Cannon-Grant and her husband diverted relief and rental assistance funds from their nonprofit.
They collected about $100,000 in illegal unemployment benefits and used nonprofit money to pay for expenses, including auto loans and insurance bills.
The couple received nearly $54,000 in pandemic relief funds, prosecutors said.
They also conspired to defraud Boston’s Office of Housing Stability by misrepresenting household income to obtain $12,600 in rental assistance.
In addition, they defrauded the Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance by submitting forged employment documents so another family member could receive nearly $44,000 in unemployment benefits.
Prosecutors said Cannon-Grant filed false tax returns for 2017 and 2018 and failed to file returns for 2019 and 2020.
Cannon-Grant was a high-profile figure in Boston activist circles and received multiple accolades in 2020, including Boston Globe Magazine’s Bostonian of the Year and a Boston Celtics Heroes Among Us award, amid nationwide protests following the death of George Floyd.
After Cannon-Grant’s indictment in 2022, Violence in Boston announced it was suspending all programs and shutting down.
However, the nonprofit’s Facebook page has remained frequently active since then.
Our comment section is restricted to members of the Slay News community only.
To join, create a free account HERE.
If you are already a member, log in HERE.