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(CNN) — Jay Z and his wife, Beyonce, have quietly donated tens of thousands of dollars to pay bail for protesters arrested in police-brutality demonstrations, an acquaintance of the couple said in a series of since-deleted tweets.

Author, filmmaker and protest organizer dream hampton, who worked with Jay Z on his book, “Decoded,” said on Twitter that he “wired tens of thousands in mins” when she asked him for bail money for Baltimore protesters, according to Complex magazine.

The couple also wrote “huge checks” to help fund an expansion of the #BlackLivesMatter protest organization “and more stuff, too much to list actually, that they always insist folk keep quiet,” hampton tweeted.

Soon after tweeting on Sunday, she sent another indicating that she had been told to “shut the f*k up & head to brunch.”

“Gonna erase my error ridden rant. Hope you got your little screenshot,” she added.

It wasn’t clear who asked her to stop tweeting or why, but hampton later returned to Twitter to confirm her statements.

“It’s true they gave, which is why I tweeted it,” she said.

She also confirmed her statements to the New York Daily News and Guardian newspapers.

“I can say I’ve personally helped facilitate donations they’ve given to protesters directly and that they never ask for anything in return, especially publicity,” the Daily News quoted her as saying in an email.

A publicist for Jay Z did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Hampton’s assertions come amid criticism of the couple by some protesters for failing to speak out publicly in the recent national debate over police violence.

But Daily Kos columnist Shaun King wrote that Jay Z probably hasn’t spoken out about any donations to avoid drawing publicity away from the movement.

“He’s content, as he should be, to fund great leaders and organizations, help people out in their critical times of need, love on families behind the scenes every chance he gets, use his leverage with politicians where he sees fit, and continue running the businesses and operations he is in charge of,” King wrote.

Reaction to the news among fans was, as you might expect, largely positive.

“Dope, if it’s true,” Twitter user KanYeezy wrote.

But some did accuse Jay Z of using the controversy to cash in. Others said the singer has warped priorities.

“Jay Z will spend thousands of dollars to bail out criminals but won’t pay for a cops funeral,” one commenter wrote on Jay Z’s Facebook page. “If his house was being robbed, if his daughter was in danger he wouldn’t hesitate to call the police for help. His priorities are f#%^}ed up!!”