A prominent community and social justice advocate who established a Boston nonprofit aimed at curbing violence has evaded incarceration in a federal fraud case, the Justice Department announced on Thursday.

Monica Cannon-Grant, aged 44, admitted guilt in September 2025 to 18 out of 27 charges, which encompassed wire fraud, mail fraud, and failure to file tax returns. These charges were connected to a fraudulent scheme where she and her late husband, Clark Grant, misappropriated thousands of dollars donated to their nonprofit.

On Thursday, she received a sentence of four years probation and was also mandated to repay $106,003 in restitution. Despite federal prosecutors urging U.S. District Court Judge Angel Kelley to impose an 18-month prison term, Cannon-Grant avoided jail time.

Monica Cannon-Grant was photographed speaking at a Black Lives Matter rally held in front of the Boston Police Headquarters on September 22, 2020, in Boston. (Photo by Matt Stone/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald)

“Ms. Cannon-Grant’s actions were driven by greed and exploited opportunities,” commented Nicolas Bucciarelli, the acting inspector in charge at the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Boston Division.

The couple faced accusations of redirecting COVID-19 relief and rental assistance funds meant for their Violence in Boston nonprofit towards personal expenditures. They were also charged with illegally obtaining approximately $100,000 in unemployment benefits, among other offenses.

Along with her late husband, the pair founded VIB, an anti-violence nonprofit dedicated to raising social awareness and aiding community causes in Boston, federal prosecutors said. 

The couple received nearly $54,000 in pandemic relief funds, authorities said. They also allegedly used some of the nonprofit’s funds to pay their auto loan and auto insurance bills.

Monica Cannon-Grant, center, speaks during a Juneteenth protest in Boston. Cannon-Grant was sentenced to probation in a federal fraud case, the Justice Department said Thursday.  (Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images)

They also conspired to defraud Boston’s Office of Housing Stability by misrepresenting their household income in an effort to obtain $12,600 in rental assistance and the Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance by submitting forged employment documents so that another family member could receive nearly $44,000 in unemployment assistance.

Cannon-Grant also filed false tax returns for 2017 and 2018 and failed to file tax returns for 2019 and 2020, prosecutors said. 

Cannon-Grant was well-known in activist circles in Boston, earning numerous awards, including Boston Globe Magazine’s Bostonian of the Year award and a Boston Celtics Heroes Among Us award, both in 2020 amid nationwide protests following the killing of George Floyd. 

Monica Cannon-Grant leads marchers during a protest march in honor of Rayshard Brooks, sponsored by Black Lives Matter Boston and Violence in Boston Inc., June 22, 2020, in Boston. (Jim Davis/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

In 2022, after Cannon-Grant’s indictment, VIB said it had suspended all programs and was shutting down, but its Facebook page has been frequently active since.