Ex-NAACP chief who posed as black pleads not guilty to fraud in Spokane

SPOKANE, Wash. — A former NAACP leader in Washington state whose life unraveled after she was exposed as a white woman pretending to be black has pleaded not guilty to welfare fraud.

Nkechi (en-Ke'-chi) Diallo, formerly known as Rachel Dolezal, made a brief appearance in court Wednesday in Spokane, Washington.

She is charged with welfare fraud and false verification for public assistance.

The charges are related to income she received from a book and other sources while also receiving welfare benefits.

Superior Court Judge James Triplet ordered that she remain free on her own recognizance and set her trial date for Sept. 10. Diallo did not talk to reporters after the brief hearing.

Diallo resigned from Spokane's NAACP chapter in 2015 when it was revealed she was born to white parents.

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Associated Press