In a joint statement released on Sunday, trans activist and actor Indya Moore and the nonprofit The Okra Project issued a joint statement expressing sadness and sympathy for its former executive director, Dominique Morgan.
In 2024, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez indicted Morgan on felony fraud charges stemming from a misappropriation of funds in 2022, when Morgan was leading the organization. Morgan eventually pled guilty to to the charges, which included one count of second-degree grand larceny and 23 counts of falsifying business records. In a hearing last Tuesday in Brooklyn Supreme Court, Morgan was denied bail and remanded into custody, but was not yet sentenced.
The funds Morgan was accused of embezzling, which amounted to just under $100,000, were part of an Okra Project initiative intended to help incarcerated Black trans individuals. However, Morgan illegally allocated $99,000 of the funds into her own bank account, allegedly using it for upscale car payments, clothing, meals, and a $19,000 closet renovation, according to Gaye News.
On Sunday, Moore and The Okra Project posted a lengthy, 20-slide joint statement on Instagram that recounted the details of the scandal, as well as expressed empathy for both Morgan and the org’s current director, Gabrielle Souza, who they said “is being mistreated for consequences of harm to the organization that was caused by a negligence she was & is not responsible for.”
“Dominique was ED in the past & is facing legal consequences for impulsive and reactionary choices that are likely trauma rooted + likely to cause more harm to her," the post stated. "Her choices were made during a period she did not have the support she needed & was instead given a position of power over an organization that people depended on to survive … she was & is struggling without adequate support.”
The statement added, "Responding to moments when people cause hurt publicly can cause an immense amount of hurt to the person depending on how it’s done. I recognize the dynamics of privilege I hold in this scenario & I am choosing to speak up on behalf of the Okra project and the larger issue of our community’s failure re: care in sincerity- because the cost her rhetoric has on an organization that is supporting people’s lives is far too great. It is my intention to underscore Dominique’s achievements, struggle, and the care, protection & support she deserves + must also be extended to the organization & it’s leadership that her state has impacted."
Morgan’s sentencing is scheduled for May 28. Click here to read The Okra Project and Moore’s full statement.
The Okra Project also posted another official updated statement on the topic on their Instagram page and website:
