The former director of Human Rights, Sheryl Davis, was recently arrested for misusing funds, revealing systemic corruption. She reportedly siphoned funds from her business partner to pay for several high-profile celebrities in the entertainment industry.
According to a press release by the San Francisco District Attorney, Brooke Jenkins, Davis, the former executive director of the Human Rights Commission, was arrested and charged. Her co-worker from Collective Impact, James Spingola, was also arrested and charged.
Davis was charged with multiple felonies and two misdemeanors, according to the press release. The felonies include 13 counts of “having a financial conflict of interest in a government contract.”
Breaking News: Former San Francisco human rights commissioner Sheryl Davis and former executive director James Spingola were arrested and charged on Monday on allegations of financial conflict of interest with city contracts, and ethical violations. https://t.co/8GkFxojBnr
— ABC7 News (@abc7newsbayarea) March 30, 2026
She reportedly siphoned off $120 million through her Dream Keeper Initiative, which was reportedly intended to protect Black Americans in San Francisco following George Floyd’s death. She also reportedly directed funds from the initiative to a nonprofit called Collective Impact, of which Spingola was a part.
A court affidavit and arrest warrant cited by the press release alleged that Davis had a “pervasive pattern of self-dealing.” This was because, even after she focused full time on the initiative, Davis remained a signatory on Collective Impact’s bank account.
She reportedly raised funds for the nonprofit and managed its finances. Jenkins alleged that Davis siphoned more than $4.5 million from her Dream Keeper Initiative to Collective Impact. Additionally, she distributed city funds on multiple occasions, which is illegal.
San Francisco DA Brooke Jenkins Files Felony Charges Against Ex-Human Rights Director Sheryl Davis & Ex-Collective Impact Leader James Spingola.
Davis & Spingola have been living together since 2015 & share finances.
Only Davis has bonded out.
Millions in Fraud in California. pic.twitter.com/pJj37INvD8
— Southern FFA Family (@FFAFamily) March 31, 2026
The transfer of huge amounts of money from one organization to another by illegal means reportedly highlighted the corruption associated with being in a position of power. Moreover, the money meant for a legally approved cause was being used to pay prominent celebrities.
According to reports from the New York Post, the Human Rights Commission cashed a whopping $10,000 check to pay American educator Sonya Curry when she was a keynote speaker at an event.
Similarly, she also used the HRC’s funds to pay for an afterparty at the celebrity-owned restaurant, International Smoke. Co-owned by Ayesha Curry and Michael Mina, they were paid $4,810.50 for the party.
For HRC-related events, Davis sanctioned payments of a little over $30K to pay multiple top-notch artists in the entertainment industry. Some of them were Emily King, D-Nice, and Goapele.
SF human rights boss paid out thousands to celebs – and hawked her kids’ book https://t.co/nDfiWRb3st pic.twitter.com/aLcQmL1bb9
— New York Post (@nypost) April 1, 2026
That’s not all that she reportedly used City Money for. Davis also paid for the promotion, branding, and marketing of her children’s book Free to Sing. She did so using City funds and resources.
Similarly, she’s reportedly siphoned money and misused it multiple times over the years. As a result of an 18-month investigation, according to Jenkins, she and Spingola were arrested. This investigation was conducted by the San Francisco police.
They’re currently booked at the County Jail and are reportedly expected to post bail. However, an official court date is yet to be announced, where they will be arraigned for their crimes of corruption.
