The former leaders of a Minneapolis violence-prevention nonprofit are now at the center of a massive scandal after prosecutors accused them of stealing millions of dollars meant to help communities devastated after the George Floyd protests.
Trahern Pollard and Jaclyn McGuigan were sued Friday by Keith Ellison, who alleges the pair siphoned roughly $6.5 million from the nonprofit We Push For Peace to bankroll a lavish personal lifestyle.
According to the lawsuit, Pollard — who became a well-known public face of anti-violence outreach efforts in Minneapolis — allegedly used charity money for luxury Las Vegas trips, expensive vehicles, shopping sprees at Harley-Davidson, child support payments, taxes, and even his own private businesses.
Authorities claim Pollard pocketed around $6 million from government contracts and nonprofit funds that were supposed to support violence prevention and community outreach programs.
The lawsuit also accuses him of using charity money to prop up his personal liquor store and used car dealership ventures.
One particularly bizarre allegation claims Pollard disguised $35,000 in payments to friends by labeling them as “Chicago payroll.”
Meanwhile, prosecutors say McGuigan allegedly transferred $1,000 every week from the nonprofit into her personal bank account while disguising the transactions as administrative expenses.
According to the lawsuit, McGuigan acted as the organization’s treasurer and allegedly moved much of the money through her own accounts while Pollard spent the bulk of it.
“Instead of helping the community, they helped themselves to millions of dollars that should have gone into the community,” Attorney General Ellison said in a statement.
The lawsuit claims the alleged misuse of funds stretched on for more than five years.
We Push For Peace was founded after the unrest that followed George Floyd’s death and quickly became a prominent nonprofit in Minneapolis. Pollard often appeared in media coverage and built a reputation as a community leader focused on reducing violence in troubled neighborhoods.
One of his most high-profile moves involved purchasing the notorious Merwin Liquors store in north Minneapolis — a location long associated with violence and drug activity. At the time, Pollard portrayed the purchase as an effort to improve the neighborhood.
But investigators now allege nonprofit money was improperly used to pay employees working at the liquor store, even though it was supposed to be completely separate from the charity.
The lawsuit also accuses Pollard of creating a for-profit company called Change Makers and secretly shifting contracts and revenue away from the nonprofit and into his own business.
Authorities claim Pollard deposited checks intended for We Push For Peace directly into Change Makers accounts, allegedly diverting at least $930,794.
Prosecutors say the alleged scheme eventually hollowed out the nonprofit so badly that it could no longer properly assist Minneapolis during major law enforcement operations, including Operation Metro Surge.
The lawsuit further accuses both Pollard and McGuigan of maintaining inaccurate financial records and taking out improper loans.
The numbers uncovered by investigators are staggering.
According to Ellison’s office, the nonprofit generated more than $25 million in revenue between 2020 and 2025. Prosecutors say the organization brought in $6.8 million in 2022 and another $6.4 million in 2023 alone.
However, IRS filings for those same years reportedly showed dramatically lower numbers — just $697,165 in 2022 and $103,207 in 2023.
Neither Pollard nor McGuigan had publicly responded to the allegations as of Friday.