A lawsuit alleges the founder of D.C.-area nonprofits used grant funds to support a real estate business and other personal projects, and violated the terms of a 2025 settlement with the District.
D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb is suing Allyson Abrams, a Bowie, Maryland, resident and founder of Empowerment Justice Center and Empowerment Liberation Cathedral. The suit accuses her of diverting more than $125,000 in D.C. government grants.
According to the lawsuit, the District awarded both of Abrams’ nonprofits more than $475,000 from 2019 to 2025 for outreach efforts, counseling and addiction treatment services for “at-risk community members.”
The attorney general’s office said it opened an investigation in 2024 after Abrams refused to answer questions during a deposition in another civil case about how she spent the grant funds.
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According to Schwalb’s office, the investigation found evidence that Abrams violated D.C. law by taking more than $125,000 from both of her nonprofits, submitting thousands of falsified invoices and fake checks and not “upholding basic requirements of nonprofit governance,” such as holding board meetings and elections and maintaining written records.
The suit alleges Abrams transferred funds to herself, her spouse and corporate entities related to her real estate business.
In a December 2025 settlement, Abrams agreed to pay $110,000 to the District. She also agreed to step down from Empowerment Justice Center’s board, give up control of both of the nonprofits’ funds, and transfer any remaining money to bank accounts approved by Schwalb’s office.
According to the attorney general’s office, Abrams has not repaid any of the money and is in violation of the other settlement terms.
WTOP has reached out to Abrams for comment.
Schwalb’s lawsuit seeks to enforce the settlement while also recovering the costs of the lawsuit, according to a news release.
“Nonprofit leaders cannot treat their organizations like personal slush funds. Abrams misused government grant money and undermined efforts to support some of our community’s most vulnerable,” Schwalb said in a statement. “We’re holding her accountable and ensuring that she repays the District and its taxpayers the funds she unlawfully diverted.”
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