BLM Atlanta organizer busted using $200,000 in donations for personal expenses

The fact that Black Lives Matter of Greater Atlanta had its not-for-profit status revoked in 2019 did not stop the group from taking more than $430,000 in donations, or from activist Sir Maejor Page from using $200,000 for his personal expenses.

An affidavit filed in federal district court on Thursday, and an announcement from the FBI on Friday, shows that the charitable status for the group was revoked after it failed to file taxes for three straight years.

On the Facebook page that BLM of Greater Atlanta used for fundraising, reveals that Page, who was born Tyree Conyers-Page, said that all funds raised would be used to fight for justice for George Floyd. These expenses apparently include tailored suits for Page, as well as real estate buys, according to The Daily Caller.

The national arm of Black Lives Matter does not take responsibility for Page or his activities, as they have not brought his group in as an official chapter. Their reasoning was that they did not feel that Page would be able to successfully work with LGBT activists, according to WABE.

Alicia Garza, co-founder of BLM nationally, said in 2016 in addition to a seeming power grab from Page, she thought "there were [a] lot of concerns around whether or not this person could work in a respectful and principled manner with people who were gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender." She said that one of BLM's 13 guiding principles was to be "queer-affirming."

In 2016, there were five days of BLM protests in Atlanta. Page took part in a press conference, with then Mayor Kasim Reed, and said that "Folks got to remember, and the press needs to remember, that you’re going to find people protesting without a cause. You're going to find people protesting just because we’re on TV, right? You’ve got folks out there with different agendas, trying to put their organizations on the map."

On his Instagram, he identifies himself as an "activist, media personality, actor/model, investigative reporter, pro agitator," and "truth seeker."

Asia Parks, who works with Rise Up, said of Page at the time that he was "sending this message that nobody agrees with and he's meeting with these powerful people." She said he was barely involved in organizing the 2016 protests in Atlanta, as did others.

Devyn Springer, also with Rise Up, said that Page's "message is really of  a personal matter and about himself." Springer claimed that he was hard to work with, as well.

Garza took issue with Page's claim that he was the president of the Atlanta chapter. "We do not have presidents of chapters," she said, "we do not have CEO's of chapters. That is not our ethos."

It was also in 2016 that it was revealed that Page was arrested multiple times for impersonating a police officer. Then Mayor Reed's office said that, at the time they shared a podium and press conference with Page, they were unaware of his previous arrests, or the fact that he was currently on probation.

His arrests for impersonating an officer were in 2014 and 2015. Page was "wearing a replica of the Atlanta police officer uniform" and was heavily armed, with a Glock 45. He was spotted having detained a woman in handcuffs at a gas station. When confronted, Page said that was working security. 2015 saw paid, again armed, wearing a bullet proof vest at a public transit station, where he demanded to see the ID of a man who then identified himself as a sergeant with the Atlanta Police Department. In 2016, Page managed to get past security at a state office building by saying he was with the FBI, and carrying a gun. While he pled to lesser charges, he ended up with two years probation.

His Instagram showed him in August of this year traveling to attend demonstrations.