- Office of the Inspector General
Media Contact for Non-Profit's Founders Indicted on Federal Fraud and Conspiracy Charges, March 2022
Jack Meyers
A federal grand jury indicted two founders of Violence in Boston (VIB), a Boston-based non-profit, on March 14, 2022. The indictment alleges that two of the founders, Monica Cannon-Grant and Clark Grant, illegally diverted VIB donations and grants and used the money for car repairs, groceries, a vacation and other personal expenses.
The indictment also charges Cannon-Grant and Grant with defrauding the Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance by submitting false documents to obtain Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) benefits that they were not entitled to receive. The two defendants also allegedly conspired to defraud a mortgage company by submitting false documentation in support of a loan application. The 18-count indictment charges Cannon-Grant and Grant with 13 counts of wire fraud, 2 counts of wire fraud conspiracy, 1 count of conspiracy, and 1 count of making false statements to a mortgage lending company. The indictment also charges Cannon-Grant with 1 count of mail fraud. The indictment resulted from a joint federal-state investigation that included the Massachusetts Office of the Inspector General.
Founded in 2017, VIB’s stated purpose is to reduce violence and to raise social awareness about the causes of violence and the impacts it has on communities. Cannon-Grant is the founder and CEO; Grant is a founding director. According to the indictment, Cannon-Grant and Grant concealed their criminal conduct from VIB’s donors as well as from VIB’s other officers and board members.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General, the Internal Revenue Service, and the U.S. Housing and Urban Development’s Office of Inspector General also participated in the investigation.
The charges are allegations and Cannon-Grant and Grant are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
For more information, see the U.S. Attorney’s Office press release: Founders of Boston Nonprofit Indicted on Fraud Charges | USAO-MA | Department of Justice