Faith Shields-Dixon pleaded guilty to misusing $350,000 in pandemic funds meant for youth programs.

Faith Shields-Dixon, founder of the Fargo nonprofit Faith4Hope Scholarship Fund, pleaded guilty on October 20, 2024, to three felony counts of misusing $350,000 in state pandemic grant funds meant for after-school programs. She admitted diverting $124,000 to family-owned businesses and personal accounts between 2022 and 2023. The North Dakota Attorney General’s Office investigated allegations of conflict of interest and financial misconduct. As part of a plea deal, she faces up to 11 months in prison, over $100,000 in restitution, court costs, and three years of supervised probation. A sentencing hearing is set for January 20, 2025. Her husband, Charles Dixon, faces separate felony charges.