A self-proclaimed advocate for “Defunding the Police” is now facing a lawsuit for allegedly misusing over $75,000 in donations to fund a lavish lifestyle, including an extravagant Cancun vacation and shopping sprees at high-end retailers. Brandon Anderson, the founder of Raheem AI—a nonprofit organization purportedly focused on police transparency and community welfare—has been accused by Washington, D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb of financial misconduct and violating workers’ rights.
The lawsuit paints a picture of Anderson using charitable funds not for the purported mission of his organization, but to indulge in luxury, while simultaneously failing to pay his employees, including one who is owed tens of thousands of dollars in earned wages. Schwalb didn’t mince words in condemning Anderson’s actions: “Brandon Anderson misused charitable donations to fund lavish vacations and shopping sprees, and the Raheem AI Board of Directors let him get away with it.”
Raheem AI, founded by Anderson in 2017, was billed as a nonprofit aimed at providing alternative crisis response services for communities that are distrustful of law enforcement. The organization’s mission was to create an emergency dispatch app to bypass police in emergency situations—a goal that resonated with the anti-police movement. Yet, despite raising over $4.3 million in donations, the organization’s flagship project fizzled out. Anderson’s nonprofit, instead of using funds to further the app’s development or community programs, allegedly became a vehicle for his personal indulgences.
Schwalb’s office detailed how Anderson allegedly raided Raheem AI’s coffers for personal luxuries, including $40,000 spent on mansion and penthouse rentals, $10,000 on personal travel—including that Cancun vacation—and another $10,000 on a shopping spree that saw Anderson splurge at luxury retailers like Bottega Veneta and Saks Fifth Avenue. The complaint even highlights an out-of-place $5,000 for emergency veterinary services.
But the story gets even darker: Anderson allegedly violated Washington, D.C.’s Nonprofit Corporation Act, Wage Payment and Collection Law, and Ban on Noncompete Agreements Act. According to the lawsuit, Raheem AI has not had a treasurer since 2020, granting Anderson unrestricted access to its funds. The organization’s Board of Directors is also accused of failing to implement proper financial oversight, essentially allowing Anderson to use the nonprofit as his personal piggy bank.
One of Anderson’s former employees, Jasmine Banks, has come forward to expose the alleged financial abuse. Banks discovered Anderson’s extravagant spending after she was not paid for months. The former employee claimed that she was owed “tens of thousands of dollars” in unpaid wages since April 2023. Even after reporting Anderson’s behavior to the nonprofit’s board, no action was taken. In addition to the financial abuses, Banks claims she was forced to sign an illegal noncompete agreement during her employment.
Reflecting on the situation, Banks shared her heartbreak, telling *The New York Times*, “It hurts my heart to say it, but I think it was a con from the beginning.”
This scandal is a stark reminder of the hypocrisy often exposed within the very movements that claim to be fighting for justice and equality. Anderson, a figure who has publicly supported the defunding of police, appears to have been exploiting the very principles he preached. Instead of supporting vulnerable communities, Anderson has allegedly betrayed his donors, employees, and the cause he supposedly stood for.
As the legal battle unfolds, this case underscores a growing trend of nonprofit leaders misusing their power and public trust for personal gain—especially when those involved tout themselves as moral paragons of social justice. The message is clear: those who call for systemic change must first be held accountable for their own actions. If the charges are true, Anderson’s actions serve as yet another example of the corruption that often accompanies those who claim to be fighting the system while manipulating it for their own benefit.
