PINAL COUNTY, Ariz. — Bruce Franks Jr., an activist who emerged as one of the faces of the 2016 protests in Ferguson and later ran for and won a seat in the Missouri House of Representatives, was charged with 10 felonies last week in Arizona.
According to court records, the former representative was charged with nine counts of forgery and one count of theft.
According to an Axios report, the charges stem from an investigation into unsent mailers the Maricopa County Democratic Party paid for before the 2022 election.
The party paid $24,480 to consulting firm Agave Strategy for about 100,000 mailers in October 2022. Agave Strategy subcontracted the work to Blaque Printing Enterprise, a company owned by Franks.
The mailers were never sent even though Franks gave the company's CEO documents showing they were, Axios reported, citing the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office. The party received a refund in January 2023.
The protestor-turned-politician took office after unseating incumbent State Rep. Penny Hubbard in a special Democratic primary election for Missouri's 78th House District in 2016.
In 2019, the St. Louis County quietly settled a lawsuit with Franks for $50,000, on the condition he remove all of the social media posts he made of a video of his arrest in 2014 during a clash between police and protesters.
Ten days later, he abruptly announced he would be resigning as state representative, citing mental health struggles after the deaths of his godson and best friend.
In 2020, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences announced that a documentary about Franks’ rise to the Missouri House of Representatives from the streets of Ferguson as a protester had been nominated for an Academy Award. The 25-minute film, "St. Louis Superman," was nominated for a Best Documentary Short Subject Oscar.
Franks was among four people arrested in 2020 during a protest in Phoenix that stemmed from a silent march in tribute of Michael Brown.
Franks' initial appearance in Maricopa County Superior Court is scheduled for Oct. 21.
