DOJ Indicts Southern Poverty Law Center on Fraud Charges

The Department of Justice announced an 11-count fraud indictment against the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), alleging the civil rights organization secretly funded leaders and organizers of white supremacist and other hate groups it publicly opposed. The indictment, returned by a grand jury in the U.S. District Court in Montgomery, Alabama, includes six counts of wire fraud, four counts of bank fraud, and one count of money laundering.

Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche stated that between 2014 and 2023, the SPLC paid at least $3 million to eight individuals associated with groups such as the Ku Klux Klan, the United Klans of America, the National Socialist Party of America, the Aryan Nations-affiliated Sadistic Souls Motorcycle Club, and the American Front. Blanche remarked, "The SPLC was not dismantling the groups; it was instead manufacturing the extremism it purports to oppose by paying sources to stoke racial hatred."

One example cited in the indictment involves the SPLC allegedly paying approximately $270,000 over eight years to a member of the leadership group that planned the Unite the Right protest in Charlottesville, Virginia, which resulted in one death and numerous injuries.

In response, SPLC's interim CEO, Bryan Fair, stated, "We are outraged by the false allegations levied against SPLC—an organization that for 55 years has stood as a beacon of hope fighting white supremacy and various forms of injustice to create a multi-racial democracy where we can all live and thrive."

The SPLC acknowledged being the subject of a criminal probe by the DOJ, focusing on the group's prior use of paid, confidential informants to gather intelligence on violent groups. Fair emphasized, "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. To be clear, this program saved lives."

The organization plans to vigorously defend itself against the charges, with Fair asserting, "SPLC will vigorously defend ourselves, our staff, and our work; we will continue to fight hate; and we will continue to envision and create a safer and more just world."

FBI Director Kash Patel, present at the press conference, stood alongside Blanche during the announcement. Patel had previously stated in October that the FBI would sever ties with the SPLC, referring to it as a "partisan smear machine."