OAN Staff Addie Davis
6:00 PM – Wednesday, March 25, 2026
The founder of the now-defunct nonprofit “Violence In Boston” (VIB) received an order of forfeiture on Monday of more than $224,000 after pleading guilty to fraud last year.
Federal District Court Judge Angel Kelley set the amount consistent with the funds obtained through the offenses.
Trending: Pro-life support plummets among churchgoers despite faith resurgence
Monica Cannon-Grant, the founder and former CEO of VIB, plead guilty in September of 2025 to 10 counts of wire fraud, one count of mail fraud, and four counts dealing with tax returns, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.
In January, she was sentenced to four years’ probation, with six months of home detention, 100 hours of community service and was ordered to pay more than $100,000 in restitution. Both Cannon-Grant and her husband were charged with a superseding indictment in 2023, but his charges were dropped the same year after his death.
Cannon-Grant was previously declared a “2020 Bostonian of the Year,” and The Boston Globe reported then that she organized the Franklin Park March attended by thousands after the controversial, media-frenzied death of George Floyd. In 2017, she formally founded VIB, which ceased operations following the 2022 charges.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, she used charity funds to pay for personal expenses. After receiving over $54,000 in pandemic relief funds from the Boston Resiliency Funds (BRF), she withdrew approximately $30,000 in cash, depositing some in her personal account as well as making payments to her personal car loan and insurance policy.
She also misrepresented household income to obtain rental assistance from the City of Boston, as well as fraudulently applied for unemployment assistance. The attorney’s office reported that Cannon-Grant “represented herself as an uncompensated VIB director to donors and other charitable institutions.”
“Monica Cannon-Grant’s crimes were not a momentary lapse in judgment — they were a calculated pattern of deception that spanned years,” said U.S. Attorney Leah Foley, according to the press release.
“Fraud disguised as activism or charity is still fraud,” she added.
Cannon-Grant’s attorneys reportedly asked for a lighter sentence of two years of probation with no fine and a special fee of $1,650, according to the Epoch Times.
Her attorneys also described Cannon-Grant as a “loving mother, wife, and daughter who had dedicated her life to advancing social justice and serving communities in need,” adding that her home life was both “traumatic and violent.” According to court documents, she grew up in poverty on subsidized housing, and “and lived on welfare and food stamps with a violent and alcoholic father,” the news outlet noted.
Stay informed! Receive breaking news blasts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts
What do YOU think? Click here to jump to the comments!
Join the conversation!
Please share your thoughts about this article below. We value your opinions, and would love to see you add to the discussion!