Rachel Dolezal, the white woman who cosplayed as a black woman until she was busted, has been formally indicted for welfare fraud and had to report to the Spokane County jail on Monday for processing.
As reported earlier by The Root, Dolezal, who changed her name to Nkechi Amare Diallo in 2016, faces up to 15 years in prison in Washington state for not reporting income from her hair braiding endeavors as well as proceeds from a book she wrote, all while receiving food and cash benefits from the state.
After her book, In Full Color: Finding My Place in a Black and White World, was published in March 2017, government welfare agencies became suspicious that her monthly income was less than $500.
USA Today reports that Dolezal/Diallo is charged with first-degree theft by welfare fraud, making false verification and second-degree perjury. She pleaded not guilty, reported to the jail for booking and fingerprints and was later released.
Between Aug. 1, 2015, and Nov. 30, 2017, Dolezal reportedly received public assistance when she was not entitled to it. Court documents claim she illegally received more than $8,747 in food assistance and $100 in child care assistance.
An investigation found the former head of the Spokane NAACP chapter deposited about $83,924 into her bank account between August 2015 and September 2017. She did not report this money to the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services.
KREM reports that Dolezal/Diallo is due back in court on Sept. 10.