On Friday, Monica Cannon-Grant, currently indicted on 27 counts of Fraud, requested for a change of plea hearing after originally pleading not-guilty.
Cannon-Grant, is the founder of non-profit Violence in Boston. She and her husband, Clark Grant were indicted on charges including wire fraud, mail fraud, making false statements, and filing false tax returns, among other offenses. Her husband, Clark Grant, was killed in 2023 in a motorcycle accident.
The court document submitted on Friday requests the court to arrange a “change of plea” hearing. “The defendant, Monica Cannon-Grant, respectfully requests that the Court schedule a change of plea hearing, pursuant to Rule 11 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure,” says the document. (RELATED: Sheriff Determines Viral Iowa County Fight is Not Racially Motivated)
“It is alleged that Cannon-Grant and Grant used grant and donation money to pay for personal expenses including, among other things, hotel reservations; groceries; gas; car rentals; auto repairs; Uber rides; restaurants; food deliveries; nail salons; and personal travel. The defendants did not disclose to other VIB directors or VIB’s bookkeepers or financial auditors that they had used VIB funds for such payments,” said the US Attorney’s office.
Federal investigators also mentioned that Cannon-Grant’s organization, “solicited and received over $1 million in donations and grants from individuals, charitable institutions and other entities.” (RELATED: UW-Madison Professor Under Fire for Comments in the Wake of Charlie Kirk Death)
In 2023, there were additional charges added against Cannon-Grant. Nine new counts were added, focused on using upwards of $54,000 in pandemic-relief funds for personal use.
The charges against Cannon-Grant carry decades long sentences in prison. “The charges of wire fraud conspiracy each provide for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000,” says the District of Massachusetts. (RELATED: Charlotte Judge Faces Heat After Freeing Killer Who Murdered Refugee)
