BLM Activist Xahra Saleem Sentenced to Prison for Fraud

Xahra Saleem, a prominent Black Lives Matter (BLM) organizer, has been sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison for fraud Tuesday, as reported by the BBC.

Saleem, 23, who previously served as the director of Changing Your Mindset, a charity for disadvantaged youths in Bristol, gained prominence for organizing a June 2020 protest in Bristol in response to the death of George Floyd.

The BBC said that this protest gained notoriety when demonstrators toppled the statue of the 17th-century slave trader Edward Colston, subsequently tossing it into Bristol Harbor.

Saleem was a key figure in orchestrating the event.

During the protest, Saleem initiated a fundraising campaign to purchase personal protective equipment (PPE) to adhere to COVID-19 safety regulations.

However, it was revealed that Saleem had diverted more than £32,000 from the fundraising account into her personal bank account between June 2020 and September 2021, according to the Daily Caller.

Trial Court Judge Michael Longman voiced his apprehension, revealing that over a substantial duration, there were more than 2,500 transactions from the nonbusiness account, constituting what he described as a "constant leakage over a significant period of time."

The Judge pointed out that "in the absence of a business account to pay the money into, the decision was made to pay it into your own account as an interim measure."

Saleem utilized the funds for various personal expenditures, including living expenses, the purchase of a new iPhone, hair and beauty appointments, clothing, orders on Amazon, takeout meals, and taxi rides.

Longman acknowledged the importance of the fundraising efforts, remarking that raising the money "was a worthwhile cause." However, he emphasized that Saleem had misappropriated the funds for her benefit, stating, "You [Saleem] then used (it) not for their benefit but for your own, funding a lifestyle for yourself that you could not otherwise have afforded."

"The others involved in the project trusted you to hold the funds securely until a better arrangement could be made." He added. "There should have been no reason why the money could not be transferred into that account, but problems became apparent. The money was not transferred, and you made excuses for that failure."

Initially pleading not guilty, Saleem later claimed that her actions were influenced by a state of "psychosis."

The depletion of funds had far-reaching consequences, leading to the cancellation of a scheduled educational journey to Africa and ultimately resulting in the organization's closure, as reported by the Independent.

A spokesperson for the charity conveyed to the Independent, "We were led on a journey of deceit which was full of lies and left us having to clear our names and stop the group sessions."

Saleem, wearing a hijab, appeared before the Bristol Crown Court, where she received her 2 1/2-year prison sentence.