The Justice Department indicted the Southern Poverty Law Center on 11 counts this week, accusing the civil rights nonprofit of lying to donors about paying confidential informants to infiltrate hate groups and deceiving banks about the accounts used to make those payments.
The charges include wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering and making false statements. A Justice Department spokesperson said the grand jury agreed to the 11-count indictment based on part of the evidence presented.
The case landed after Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said earlier this week that from 2014 through 2023 the group paid at least $3 million to eight informants affiliated with groups including the Ku Klux Klan, the National Socialist Movement and the Aryan Nation. The Southern Poverty Law Center denied the charges and said it would defend itself in court.
Kyle Boynton, speaking for the group, said he did not think any prosecutor with white-collar experience would look at the indictment and believe it made out the elements of a crime. “It’s not a valid indictment,” he said.
The Southern Poverty Law Center has long said it works closely with law enforcement to pass along tips and intelligence about hate groups that could pose public safety risks. A spokesperson said there were never formal ties with law enforcement, but the group frequently shared evidence about potential threats with officials. In October, FBI Director Kash Patel severed the bureau’s ties to the organization.
Founded as a civil rights nonprofit best known for opposing the Ku Klux Klan, the Southern Poverty Law Center has long drawn fire from right-leaning groups, and allies of the Trump administration have accused it of being anti-Christian and of unfairly targeting Republican-aligned groups including Turning Point USA, the Family Research Council and Moms for Liberty. The indictment also points to statements on the group’s website saying it partnered with communities to dismantle white supremacy and would pursue a bold action agenda that included investigating and exposing candid conduct.
What is splc, in this case, is a civil rights group now facing a rare federal criminal case that tests whether its use of informants crossed the line from advocacy into fraud. The next step is the defense’s challenge in court, where the government will have to prove the indictment can survive on the evidence it chose to present.
