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SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — The former head of San Francisco’s Human Rights Commission has pleaded not guilty to 17 felonies relating to alleged financial misconduct on the job. 

Sheryl Davis made her first court appearance Thursday, surrounded by supporters who provided a protective barrier around her as she entered and exited the courtroom.  Her attorney, Tony Brass, is skeptical of the charges.

“I think this, the charging document, is a distortion of the truth. I mean, just ask yourselves, ‘who structured this job?’ ‘who structured this department?’ ‘who structured the oversight?’” Brass said.

Prosecutors allege misappropriation of funds and conflicts of interest in the way Davis distributed and used city funds for the Dream Keeper Initiative, the program designed to reinvest in San Francisco’s Black community. 

“We did find that a portion of this money was spent in a manner that was self-dealing and was for her benefit and the benefit of her brand, ultimately her finances, and paid for things that it was not intended to be used for,” said San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins, who spoke with reporters about the case on Monday.

Jenkins said as Executive Director of HRC, Davis directed a large chunk of funding to Collective Impact, the non-profit she used to run, at a time when her finances were intermingled with that organization’s new Executive Director, Joseph Spingola. 

Spingola has also been charged with four felonies for aiding and abetting Davis.

But Davis’ attorney blames the city of San Francisco for not providing the oversight and guardrails needed to run San Francisco’s Human Rights Commission.

“They recruited Sheryl Davis from Collective Impact, so to act now like they’re surprised by the fact that there were conflicts, the fact that there was a conflict of interest that was never investigated by the city attorney. How could they not know that?” Brass said.

Davis did not speak to reporters outside the courtroom, but one of her supporters called the charges an “outrage.”

“These are two of the people with the most integrity, with the most skill, with the most devotion to their community, “ said Margaret Brodkin, the former director of the San Francisco Department of Children, Youth and Their Families. “People who work with them, people who know them, people who understand what this…  would never in a million years question their integrity.”

Davis is due back in court for her preliminary hearing on May 6.

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