Minnesota nonprofit with $35M bails out those accused of violent crimes

A Minnesota nonprofit has bailed out defendants from Twin Cities jails charged with murder, violent felonies, and sex crimes, as it seeks to address a system that disproportionately incarcerates Black people and people of color.

And it has plenty of money to do it.

The Minnesota Freedom Fund (MFF) received $35 million in donations in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd, with many of those donations intended to help protesters who were jailed during the demonstrations and riots in May.

The group’s mission was celebrated on social media with praise from Hollywood celebrities, like Steve Carell, Cynthia Nixon, and Seth Rogen.

It was an unexpected windfall.  Prior tax returns in 2017 and 2018 show MFF would pull in about $100,000 in donations.

“We initially got some raised eyebrows especially when we ramped up our activity from $1000 a day to now $100,000 a day, raised eyebrows from our bankers,” said Greg Lewin, the interim executive director of the fund.

Among those bailed out by the Minnesota Freedom Fund (MFF) is a suspect who shot at police, a woman accused of killing a friend, and a twice convicted sex offender, according to court records reviewed by the FOX 9 Investigators.

According to attempted murder charges, Jaleel Stallings shot at members of a SWAT Team during the riots in May.  Police recovered a modified pistol that looks like an AK-47.  MFF paid $75,000 in cash to get Stallings out of jail.

Darnika Floyd is charged with second degree murder, for stabbing a friend to death.  MFF paid $100,000 cash for her release.

Christopher Boswell, a twice convicted rapist, is currently charged with kidnapping, assault, and sexual assault in two separate cases.  MFF paid $350,00 in cash for his release.

“The last time we were down there, the clerk said, ‘we hate it when you bail out these sex offenders, that is what they said',” Lewin said.

Lewin said for MFF it is not about the crime, it’s about the system.

In Minnesota, 60 percent of the jail population is waiting for trial, according to an analysis by the Vera Institute of Justice, based on data from 2015.

That analysis found Black people are incarcerated in Minnesota jails at 4.7 times the rate of Whites; and, for Native Americans the rate is 11 times the rate for whites.  It is considered one of the largest racial disparities in the U. S.

Not the crime, the System

“I often don’t even look at a charge when I bail someone out,” Lewin said.

“I will see it after I pay the bill because it is not the point. The point is the system we are fighting,” Lewin said.

Much of the money donated to the MFF was given to help protesters get out of jail after Floyd’s death, and for “nuisance bail” for gross misdemeanor offenses. But, many of the protesters arrested were quickly released or only received citations.

When asked how many protesters were bailed out, Lewin responded, “probably a dozen in terms a direct bail actions.”

Before Floyd’s death, MFF bailed out 563 people with an average bail of $342, according to numbers provided by the group.

Since Floyd, the fund has bailed out 184 people, but the average bail is much higher, $13,195. MFF is also assisting 400 people with what they call pre-trial justice, like court fines, legal fees and lost wages. About 83% of those bailed out, the group said, have been Black, indigenous, or people of color.

“A lot of people are saying 'F the police,'” Lewin said.  “Those same people, quite frankly, should be thinking 'F the courts,' 'F the jail' because that is part of the same cycle.”

The groups activities have caught the attention of bail bonding companies in the Twin Cities.

“There has to be some scrutiny on this,” said Jeff Clayton, executive director of the American Bail Coalition.

Clayton said local bail bond companies have noticed a pattern in who MFF is bailing out, given the lower jail population because of COVID-19.

“It has to be... (Read more)

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