BATTLE CREEK, Mich. — Damon Brown, president of Battle Creek nonprofit R.I.S.E. Corp., has been accused of multiple financial crimes and taken into custody, the city announced Friday.
Police executed search warrants at several locations, seizing documents, electronic devices, and a stolen firearm with ammunition. Brown faces charges including welfare fraud, tax revenue fraud, wire fraud, embezzlement, fraud under false pretenses, forgery, felon in possession of a firearm, felony firearm, possession of a stolen firearm, and resisting and obstructing authorities.
The Battle Creek Police Department had been investigating Brown and R.I.S.E. Corp. for nearly two years. Details of the alleged financial fraud have not yet been disclosed. The nonprofit received a $200,000 Community Center Grant last year, though it is unclear if this grant is connected to the investigation.
Brown, who founded R.I.S.E. (Re-integration to Support and Empower) in 2018, spent a total of 12 years in prison for selling crack cocaine and a subsequent parole violation. According to the Associated Press, R.I.S.E. was initially established to help at-risk youth, partnering with the Calhoun County Juvenile Home, the Calhoun Intermediate School District, Battle Creek Public Schools, the Battle Creek Police Department, and the Urban League of Battle Creek.
The nonprofit currently provides programs for families and children who have experienced trauma, including healthy food box distributions, education partnerships for young adults who did not finish high school, and cognitive behavior programs.
Authorities urge anyone with information related to the investigation to contact the Battle Creek Police Department or Silent Observer at 269-964-3888.
