FARGO, N.D. (Valley News Live) - Newly filed court documents say Faith Dixon, and her husband Charles Dixon, have both been charged felony theft.

Court documents say Faith, president of the Faith4Hope Scholarship Fund, received $350,000 in grant money from the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction. Faith4Hope is a non-profit for an after-school program. The grant cycle was listed as a three-year award from November 1st of 2021 to June 30th of 2024.

In October of 2021, Faith asked for over $1.5M in grant funding from the NDDPI. In the request, Faith said she would work with local businesses and other local nonprofits to better show what after-school should look like.

“FAITH4HOPE reimagines what after-school looks like. We provide participants in middle school/junior high school, and high school with free, comprehensive after school-programs, transformative experiences, and mentoring that support students in developing skills and habits needed to help them succeed in school and life.” Faith wrote in the request. Out of the $1.5M requested, $350,000 was awarded.

In October of 2022, the NDDPI says they contacted Dixon about concerns they had with the scholarship fund, citing conflicts of interest between Faith Dixon and the program vendors.

- Diezel Double Barrel BBQ, owned by Faith’s father.

- Revolution Records, owned by Faith’s brother.

In September of 2023, the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation requested to do a criminal investigation. Faith was found to be noncompliant in several areas. Listed in court documents are several discrepancies, including not being able to verify rental agreements or show bank statements. Court documents say that Faith, “appeared to have exclusively contracted with immediate family members’ businesses and persons on the FAITH4HOPE board of directors.”

Through the investigation, NDDPI also discovered that Great Plains Food Bank had terminated its partnership with FAITH4HOPE after they found out that FAITH4HOPE sold items that were donated to the food pantry.

- FAITH4HOPE SCHOLARSHIP FUND, INC. did not demonstrate the organizational capacity to manage and maintain the necessary internal control for this type of award.

- FAITH4HOPE SCHOLARSHIP FUND, INC. was not forthright with multiple state agencies, including the NDDPI and the ND Department of Human services.

- Multiple state agencies stated concerns regarding participation and maintenance of participation records.

- FAITH4HOPE SCHOLARSHIP FUND, INC. failed to provide the required activities and maintain documentation necessary to ensure the funding was used for its intended purpose.

- FAITH4HOPE SCHOLARSHIP FUND, INC. demonstrated a clear violation of state and federal regulations regarding its conflicts of interest. When the NDDPI provided FAITH4HOPE SCHOLARSHIP FUND, INC. with an opportunity to address the conflicts, not only did it fail to disclose conflicts, but it failed to justify the conflicts that were already identified.

Investigators say the Faith4Hope non-profit’s financials show that Dixon and her husband Charles Dixon, defrauded the state out of more than $70,000 by transferring money in their personal account. Now, the NDDPI is seeking a reimbursement from FAITH4HOPE in the amount of $70,462.46, which was due on April 10th of 2023. Court documents say to date, the NDDPI has not received this reimbursement.

In April of 2024, a search warrant for banking records related to FAITH3HOPE SCHOLARSHIP FUND and Faith Dixon were granted. Special Agents received the transaction histories for 11 accounts that Faith had signature authority for.

Relevant to the case, $187,622 from the NDDPI was deposited into the FAITH4HOPE account. The search warrant also showed that several thousands of dollars from this account were paid out to Revolution Records, Be the Light Dance Studio, Identity Design Studio and Diezel Double Barrel.

Court documents say going back to August 10th of 2023, FAITH4HOPE deposited $25,000 From Racing Magpie in Rapid City, South Dakota. The warrant shows that on August 15th of 2023, Faith deposited the $25,000 into the personal account, shared by herself and her husband, Charles Dixon. The warrant shows that Faith immediately withdrew $5,000 from the account after that deposit.

Faith Dixon is charged with five counts of felony theft. Charles Dixon is charged with two counts of felony theft. If convicted, Faith faces a maximum of 45 years in prison. Charles would face a maximum of 20 years in prison, if convicted.

Faith Dixon is a well-known Black Lives Matter activist in the Fargo-Moorhead community. In August of 2020 , Dixon filed a complaint against the Moorhead Police department adding that she feared for her life after a traffic stop. In 2024 , Dixon brought concerns in front of the Police Advisory and Oversight Board, saying she was unlawfully detained in downtown Fargo.