Ward 8 Nonprofit Accused of Misusing $250K in Violence Prevention Funds

June 20, 2025

The District of Columbia's Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb has filed a lawsuit against nonprofit organization Women in H.E.E.L.S. and its former CEO Ikeia Hardy for allegedly misappropriating over $250,000 in government funds. The nonprofit had received up to $814,000 annually in fiscal years 2022 and 2023 to operate a Cure the Streets violence prevention site in Congress Heights as part of the city's gun violence reduction initiative.

Who is affected

District of Columbia residents, particularly those in Ward 8 and Congress Heights
Taxpayers whose money was allegedly misused
Beneficiaries of the Cure the Streets gun violence prevention program
Women in H.E.E.L.S. organization and its stakeholders
Ikeia Hardy, the former CEO facing legal consequences

What action is being taken

The Office of the Attorney General is pursuing a lawsuit against Women in H.E.E.L.S. and Ikeia Hardy
The city is seeking to recover the full amount of misused and unreturned grant money
The city is working to bar Hardy from holding leadership positions in any DC-based nonprofit
Assistant Attorneys General Leonor Miranda and Cara Spencer are handling the case under supervision
The city has issued subpoenas and obtained a court order requiring financial records

Why it matters

Over $250,000 in public funds meant for gun violence prevention was allegedly misappropriated
The misuse undermines efforts to reduce gun violence in Congress Heights, a part of Ward 8
The case represents a breach of public trust and misuse of taxpayer money
The organization lost both its federal tax-exempt and DC nonprofit status
The funds were intended for the Cure the Streets initiative, a critical community-based program designed to reduce gun violence

What's next

No explicit next steps stated in the article

Read full article from source: The Washington Informer