A city department head and her longtime boyfriend have been arrested, accused of siphoning millions in taxpayer funds meant to uplift the black community after George Floyd’s death.

Sheryl Davis, a former head of the Human Rights Commission, and her nonprofit boss partner James Spingola were taken into custody Monday on suspicion of multiple felony counts of misappropriating public funds and conflicts of interest.

Davis allegedly engaged in a “pervasive pattern of self-dealing” while in charge of the Dream Keeper Initiative — a $120 million plan to assist black residents spun up after the high-profile police killing of George Floyd in 2020.

The initiative was a scandal-ridden program launched by former mayor London Breed in 2021 — described as plan to redirect police funding towards economic opportunities for needy black residents.

Instead, according to San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins, Davis allegedly steered the funds towards personal projects and parties — including upgraded flights, wine tastings for black college students, concerts, tables and admissions at VIP events in Beverly Hills, Martha’s Vineyard and New York City, and “multiple PR firms” to promote her book and personal brand.

The disgraced human rights boss was allegedly “heavily involved” in steering more than $3 million towards Spingola’s nonprofit — in one case, demanding it receive the money despite netting a low score from city evaluators.

Davis and her family benefited from that money — her son, for example, was paid $140,000 through a connected nonprofit, prosecutors said.

“Public integrity matters because our communities must be able to trust that government agencies treat everyone fairly and serve all members equally,” said Jenkins Monday.

“We have to hold government actors accountable, certainly when they are abusing the trust of San Franciscans, when they are abusing taxpayer dollars, and in this case using funds that are supposed to be targeted towards the black community…and that money was lost,” she added.

Davis and Spingola, who headed a nonprofit Collective Impact that got city funds, lived together for years and shared a car but the close relationship was not disclosed to the city.

“Ms. Davis was funneling city money to Collective Impact, while also steering how Collective Impact spent its funds, both for HRC use and for her personal benefit,” prosecutors said.

Davis has been charged with 17 felonies and two misdemeanors, including perjury and misuse of public funds. Spingola is charged with four felony counts of aiding and abetting Davis’ alleged conflicts of interest in doling out city funds.

A prior audit found that Davis misused some $4.5 million in department funding, sometimes breaking up invoices to evade the scrutiny of city bookkeepers.

Her department spent millions on private parties, venue rentals, a “wellness” retreat and other “frivolous” expenses, according to San Francisco Controller Greg Wagner.

“It unfairly tainted the broader work of the department and requires that trust and confidence now be rebuilt,” Wagner said last year.

Davis’ attorney, Tony Brass, suggested she was set up for failure and claimed she had asked for more oversight.

“They provided her with no guidance about transitioning into government bureaucracy and asked her to develop a robust system to help those in need to advance not only individuals but San Francisco as a city where the black community could thrive.”

“She asked for financial supervision, she asked for internal audits and when no one responded, she actually went to Board of Supervisors to ask for funding so that she could staff these positions,” Brass continued. “For the city to respond with a felony prosecution after 2 years is disappointing.”