Southern Poverty Law Center Faces Indictment Over Alleged Fraudulent Payments to Extremist Informants

WASHINGTON — On Tuesday, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche revealed an indictment against the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), accusing the civil rights organization of engaging in financial misconduct.

During a press briefing, Blanche stated that the Justice Department's investigation uncovered that the SPLC had been “manufacturing the extremism it purports to oppose by paying sources to stoke racial hatred,” while concealing these financial transactions.

The indictment, issued by a federal grand jury, includes 11 counts: six for wire fraud, four for making false statements to a federally insured bank, and one for conspiracy to commit money laundering.

According to the indictment, “The Southern Poverty Law Center’s stated mission included dismantling white supremacy and confronting hate across the country. However, unbeknownst to donors, some of their donated money was being used to fund the leaders and organizers of racist groups, including the Ku Klux Klan, the Aryan Nation, and the National Alliance.”

Furthermore, it alleges that from 2014 to 2023, SPLC secretly funneled over $3 million to “field sources” linked to groups such as the Ku Klux Klan and the National Socialist Movement.

FBI Director Kash Patel emphasized at the news conference that the SPLC attempted to obscure these payments through the use of shell companies.

“To covertly pay its field sources, the SPLC opened bank accounts connected to a series of fictitious entities,” the 14-page indictment states.

Blanche noted that this investigation has been ongoing for an extended period, mentioning it was “shut down” during the Biden administration but revived during President Donald Trump’s second term.

Bryan Fair, interim chief executive of the SPLC, expressed outrage over the allegations in a statement, asserting that they are still reviewing the charges. He stated, “Taking on violent hate and extremist groups is among the most dangerous work there is, and we believe it is also among the most important work we do.”

Earlier in the day, Fair claimed in a video that the SPLC was being “targeted” by the Trump administration. He highlighted that SPLC’s confidential sources had “risked their lives to infiltrate and inform on the activities of our nation’s most radical and violent extremist groups” and provided critical information to the FBI that “saved lives.”

The SPLC has a long history of using civil lawsuits to combat white supremacist organizations. The Trump administration has previously taken action against the SPLC, which has faced ongoing criticism from Republican lawmakers.

In a recent interview regarding a forthcoming report on “anti-Christian bias,” Patel mentioned that the FBI had “jettisoned all relationships with the Southern Poverty Law Center,” as reported earlier this month.

Fair remarked that given their history of fighting against white supremacy and injustice, SPLC was “unsurprised to be the latest organization targeted by this administration; they have made no secret of who they want to protect and who they want to destroy.”

Based in Montgomery, Alabama, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Middle District of Alabama, the SPLC is facing scrutiny from federal prosecutors led by acting U.S. Attorney Kevin Davidson, who has held his position since 2024.

The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Emily Marks, nominated by Trump in 2018. This indictment arrives as Blanche faces pressure to achieve results against entities disfavored by Trump, who expressed dissatisfaction with former Attorney General Pam Bondi's inability to secure convictions against his political adversaries.