WASHINGTON — Jasmine Banks’ disillusionment started with a credit card bill. She was dedicated to the radical mission of the nonprofit where she worked, that police should be abolished. She reported to the group’s founder, a charismatic activist with a compelling life story: His fiance had been killed by an abusive cop.
Then her boss went on vacation and left her in charge. She saw in the accounting system he had used the nonprofit’s card to pay a $1,536 hotel bill — a big bill for such a small organization. She dug deeper into the nonprofit’s bank records and found much more that concerned her.
Mansion rentals. Vet bills. Luxury clothes.
A stay at a Cancun resort. Banks scrolled back through Facebook to the week that resort bill was paid. She saw her boss, Brandon D.
Anderson, 39, posing in a pool. She sent an email to the nonprofit’s board: “I am reaching out to you regarding a confidential issue that requires immediate attention.” Anderson appeared to have misused the group’s funds — an allegation he denies.
And as a result, his employees were left with a dilemma: They wanted justice. But they had sworn never to call authorities on anyone. Anderson’s nonprofit was small, taking in about $4.
4 million over its lifetime, but his searing story gave him — and his group — an outsize profile. Anderson has told that story in countless interviews and public appearances, and in meetings with potential donors. He told them he had left Oklahoma City to join.