by Kandiss Edwards
September 20, 2025
Sacramento NAACP seeks to carry former members accountable for misusing Covid reduction funds.
The Sacramento department of the NAACP filed a lawsuit in California Superior Court docket towards former members of the group for fraud.
Filed Aug. 29, Sacramento NAACP v. Williams et al., accuses three former officers of misusing Covid-relief funds for private acquire. The grievance cites alleged monetary misconduct tied to 2 county-sponsored meal supply packages.
The defendants named are Betty Williams; former president, Salena Pryor; and Lorraine Moore, former treasurer. Additionally named are a number of companies linked to the previous NAACP leaders. The NAACP claims the fraud was carried out utilizing two of its help packages “Dine at House,” and “Dine-In 2.” Dine at House is meant to assist seniors confined at residence and Dine-In 2 was created to assist food-insecure households and native eating places in the course of the pandemic. The submitting pulls no punches when detailing the character of the crime:
“This case is a narrative about people who selected one in every of our nation’s bleakest durations to line their pockets on the expense of weak seniors dwelling in isolation and households struggling from meals deprivation. However in contrast to many different COVID–associated schemes, the perpetrators hid behind the identify and popularity of the nation’s premiere civil rights group to hold out their wrongdoing.”
In keeping with the lawsuit, Sacramento County allotted about $2.75 million for the “Dine-In 2” program. Roughly $2.1 million of that was designated for meal kits, the remaining for administrative prices. The grievance alleges greater than $700,000, practically one-third of that finances, was directed to companies owned by the defendants or to the defendants themselves.
Particular allegations embrace that Williams paid herself $150 per hour within the position of govt director. Moreover, she employed her administrative assistant at $24 per hour. Pryor is claimed to have billed over $60,000 in reimbursements plus practically $19,000 for accounting companies. This contains one bill billed at $1,000 per hour. Moore is accused of gathering funds for administrative companies. The lawsuit additionally claims there have been duplicate invoices, inflated billing after packages ought to have winded down, and lacking documentation.
A separate Sacramento County audit launched earlier this yr discovered that the NAACP could should repay practically $948,000 in disallowed prices. If the group can not present enough documentation, the county could demand one other $1.7 million in further bills.
A listening to is ready for Feb. 2, 2026.
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