FARGO (KFGO) – Fargo civil rights activist Faith Dixon and her husband are facing felony theft charges related to fraud involving the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction (DPI).
According to court records, Dixon is the president of Faith4Hope Scholarship Fund, a non-profit that runs after school programs.
The non-profit received $350,000 in grant money from the DPI in 2022. The state Bureau of Criminal Investigation began looking into Faith4Hope after the DPI discovered areas of noncompliance and conflicts of interest.
Court records show that in October of 2022, the DPI contacted Dixon about the department’s concerns with Faith4Hope and, “the perceived lack of fiscal control and the apparent conflicts of interest between Faith Dixon and the program vendors.”
Those vendors include Diezel Double Barrel BBQ where Dixon’s father is listed as the registered agent, Be the Light Dance Studio where Dixon’s sister-in-law is the registered agent, Revolution Records where Dixon’s brother is the registered agent, and Identity Design Studio where Faith4Hope’s vice president is the registered owner.
While Dixon’s father is listed as the agent for Diezel Double Barrel BBQ, her husband Charles signed a contract between the business and nonprofit.
Through warrants, investigators looked at banking records for Faith4Hope, Diezel Double Barrel BBQ, and Faith and Charles Dixon’s joint account. They say that through 2022 and 2023, the Dixons defrauded the DPI out of over $70,000 by transferring money into their personal account, withdrawing cash, or making personal purchases.
Faith Dixon is charged with five counts of theft and faces a maximum of 45 years in prison.
Charles Dixon is charged with two counts of theft and faces a maximum of 20 years in prison.
The Dixons, whose charges are filed in Burleigh County, are in the Cass County jail awaiting transfer to Bismarck.
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