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An organization dedicated to curbing violence in Minnesota has abruptly shut down after its leadership allegedly misappropriated $6.5 million in charitable funds to support extravagant personal lifestyles and finance a private liquor store.
On Friday, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced a civil lawsuit against the nonprofit We Push for Peace and its former leaders, Trahern Pollard and Jaclyn McGuigan.
The charity, once known for securing significant contracts aimed at community outreach and violence prevention, reportedly fell victim to extensive misuse and self-serving actions by its management, according to prosecutors.
The lawsuit claims Pollard alone misused over $6 million of the charity’s funds. Rather than benefiting the community, these funds allegedly financed a luxurious lifestyle, including trips to Las Vegas, high-end vehicles, and lavish shopping sprees at a Harley Davidson showroom and spa outlets.
FILE – Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison addresses a Community Empowerment event at the Bridge Center in Detroit, Mich., on May 7, 2025. (Monica Morgan/Getty Images)
Pollard is also accused of using the nonprofit to pay off his child support, settle a personal tax bill with the IRS, and subsidize his private, for-profit businesses — including a used car dealership and liquor store.
McGuigan, who acted as the charity’s treasurer, allegedly transferred a recurring $1,000 per week of nonprofit funds into her own personal account and stole thousands more in government grant funds that she claimed were for “administrative” expenses.
“Instead of helping the community, they helped themselves to millions of dollars that should have gone into the community,” Ellison wrote in a statement.
FILE- FBI and law enforcement agents raid Mini Childcare (formerly Mako Childcare) in south Minneapolis on Tuesday, April 28, 2026. Mini Childcare was one of 22 sites targeted Tuesday morning as part of a fraud probe in Minnesota. (Anthony Souffle/The Minnesota Star Tribune via Getty Images)
Prosecutors noted that when the City of Minneapolis requested the nonprofit’s assistance during Operation Metro Surge, a major Homeland Security enforcement operation in Minnesota, the once-multimillion-dollar organization was “utterly incapable” of answering the call.
When state investigators began closing in, Pollard allegedly submitted false statements under the penalty of perjury, falsely claiming a child support payment was “nonprofit overhead” and that a $35,000 payout to his personal friends was “Chicago payroll.”
FILE – Keith Ellison speaks during a Level of Justice panel discussion at the United Justice Coalition’s inaugural Social Justice Summit in New York City on July 23, 2022. (Shareif Ziyadat/Getty Images)
To justify the missing millions, prosecutors claim Pollard quickly incorporated a fake “for-profit arm” of the charity just days after the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office began asking questions.
He also allegedly set up another new, for-profit corporation called “Change Makers” to drain the nonprofit’s remaining revenue and diverted lucrative community liaison contracts, including a deal with Whole Foods, away from the charity and straight into his newly formed private company, according to court documents.