Xahra Saleem, a 23-year-old nanny and Black Lives Matter (BLM) organizer, has been sentenced to two-and-a-half years in jail after misappropriating over $30,000 from a fund she set up for COVID-19 personal protective equipment tied to a BLM protest in Bristol, England last year.
Initially, the funds, which were meant to be directed towards a local youth company named Changing Your Mindset, were moved into Saleem’s personal account. Over a span of 15 months, she indulged in an extravagant spending spree involving food deliveries, Amazon purchases, beauty treatments, and, notably, around $6,000 spent on Uber rides.
Despite repeat requests from Changing Your Mindset, Saleem avoided transferring the funds, offering various excuses. Finally, in May 2021, Saleem confessed she had spent the money. The loss of these funds led to the cancellation of an educational trip to Africa for the charity and ultimately resulted in its closure. Initially denying the allegations, Saleem later confessed to one count of fraud by abuse by position following a lengthy law enforcement investigation.