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September 20, 2025
Sacramento NAACP seeks to hold former members accountable for misusing Covid relief funds.
The Sacramento branch of the NAACP filed a lawsuit in California Superior Court against former members of the organization for fraud.
Filed Aug. 29, Sacramento NAACP v. Williams et al., accuses three former officers of misusing Covid-relief funds for personal gain. The complaint cites alleged financial misconduct tied to two county-sponsored meal delivery programs.
The defendants named are Betty Williams; former president, Salena Pryor; and Lorraine Moore, former treasurer. Also named are several businesses connected to the former NAACP leaders. The NAACP claims the fraud was conducted using two of its assistance programs “Dine at Home,” and “Dine-In 2.” Dine at Home is supposed to aid seniors confined at home and Dine-In 2 was created to help food-insecure families and local restaurants during the pandemic. The filing pulls no punches when detailing the nature of the crime:
“This case is a story about individuals who chose one of our country’s bleakest periods to line their pockets at the expense of vulnerable seniors living in isolation and families suffering from food deprivation. But unlike many other COVID–related schemes, the perpetrators hid behind the name and reputation of the nation’s premiere civil rights organization to carry out their wrongdoing.”
According to the lawsuit, Sacramento County allocated about $2.75 million for the “Dine-In 2” program. Approximately $2.1 million of that was designated for meal kits, the rest for administrative costs. The complaint alleges more than $700,000, nearly one-third of that budget, was directed to businesses owned by the defendants or to the defendants themselves.
Specific allegations include that Williams paid herself $150 per hour in the role of executive director. Additionally, she hired her administrative assistant at $24 per hour. Pryor is said to have billed over $60,000 in reimbursements plus nearly $19,000 for accounting services. This includes one invoice billed at $1,000 per hour. Moore is accused of collecting payments for administrative services. The lawsuit also claims there were duplicate invoices, inflated billing after programs should have winded down, and missing documentation.
A separate Sacramento County audit released earlier this year found that the NAACP may have to repay nearly $948,000 in disallowed costs. If the group cannot provide adequate documentation, the county may demand another $1.7 million in additional expenses.
A hearing is set for Feb. 2, 2026.
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