Donye Mitchell Charged As LA Homeless Fraud Tops $12 Million
Mitchell, chief executive of nonprofit Big Blue Umbrella, is now a fugitive accused of spending $1.2 million in grants on bail, credit cards and video games.
- USAO-CDCA (U.S. Attorney's Office, Central District of California) announced Sept. 16, 2026 that a third defendant, Donye Mitchell, 55, faces wire fraud charges, pushing the scheme past $12 million.
- "Make no mistake, HUD and the Trump administration will not tolerate the theft and abuse of taxpayers in this country."
- Mitchell, Big Blue Umbrella's CEO, remains a fugitive accused of misusing $1.2 million in grant money.
Why it matters: Three operators robbed the same public purse the same way, and nobody checked until it was already gone.
DOJ, USAO Central District of California press release ↗ · Sep 16, 20269/16/26 · Updated Sep 16