Na-na-na-na. Na-na-na-na. Hey-hey-hey, goodbye! Besides telling her that she’s not black, somebody should’ve told Rachel Dolezal — or Nkechi Diallo or whatever the heck her name is — that you can’t defraud the government. Somehow I think Dolezal already knew that, but she did it anyway.
According to KHQ 6 - Spokane:
KHQ has confirmed that Dolezal, who legally changed her name to Nkechi Diallo in 2016, is accused of 1st Degree Theft by Welfare Fraud, Perjury in the 2nd Degree, and False Verification for Public Assistance. Her potential punishment under RCW 74.08.331 could include up to 15 years in prison.
Because Dolezal changed her name, we'll be referring to her as Nkechi Diallo. According to court documents, Diallo illegally received $8,747 in food assistance, and illegally received $100 in childcare assistance. Total restitution, according to the documents, is $8,847, allegedly stolen from August 2015 through November 2017.
Dolezal only reported an income of $500 a month to the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS), but bank records and court documents revealed that Dolezal made an almost $84,000 deposit into her bank. The money reportedly was made through earnings from sales of her book, “In Full Color,” as well as “speaking engagements, soap making, doll making and the sale of her art.”
The not-black former president of the Spokane chapter of the NAACP really landed in hot water when she was interviewed by DSHS after she reported an income “change in circumstance.” Dolezal reported that she made $20,000 from a one-time job in 2017, but when investigators asked Dolezal about possible income reporting “discrepancies,” Dolezal pretended not to know what they were talking about.
Dolezal reportedly could face up to 15 years in prison.
This is what happens when you live your whole adult life based on lies. How ironic that a fraud would be charged with actual fraud.