The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has been indicted by a federal grand jury in the U.S. state of Alabama on 11 criminal counts, including wire fraud, bank fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering, according to the Department of Justice.
The indictment, returned in the Middle District of Alabama, was announced by Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel on Tuesday, April 21, following a federal investigation into the organization’s financial practices.
According to prosecutors, the case focuses on how the nonprofit allegedly used donor money over several years. Authorities claim the organization misled donors about how their contributions were being spent while secretly directing funds to individuals linked to extremist groups.
Blanche said the indictment alleges the organization “was not dismantling these groups” but instead “was manufacturing the extremism it purports to oppose by paying sources to stoke racial hatred.”
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The Department of Justice alleges that between 2014 and 2023, more than $3 million in donated funds was funneled to at least eight individuals associated with groups including the Ku Klux Klan, Aryan Nations, the National Socialist Movement, and other organizations identified by prosecutors as extremist.
One example cited in the SPLC indictment involves an individual linked to the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, who allegedly received approximately $270,000 over an eight-year period.
SPLC found to have used fictitious entities
Prosecutors say the alleged scheme involved the creation of bank accounts tied to fictitious entities in order to move funds covertly. These accounts, authorities claim, were used to disguise the source, ownership, and purpose of the money.
According to the Department of Justice, the objective of the scheme was to obtain donations through “materially false representations and omissions” about how funds would be used.
Acting U.S. Attorney Kevin Davidson said in a statement that donors “gave their money believing they were supporting the fight against violent extremism,” but alleged that funds were instead diverted in ways that “undermine public trust and social cohesion.”
The case was investigated by the FBI with assistance from the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation unit.
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Patel described the case as a “massive fraud operation,” adding that the organization “lied to their donors” and used funds in ways that allegedly contradicted its stated mission.
“The SPLC allegedly engaged in a massive fraud operation to deceive their donors, enrich themselves, and hide their deceptive operations from the public,” said FBI Director Kash Patel.
“They lied to their donors, vowing to dismantle violent extremist groups, and actually turned around and paid the leaders of these very extremist groups – even utilizing the funds to have these groups facilitate the commission of state and federal crimes. That is illegal – and this is an ongoing investigation against all individuals involved.”
Organizational background and legal status
Authorities have also filed civil forfeiture actions seeking to recover financial proceeds linked to the alleged scheme. Officials said a conviction could result in the forfeiture of assets derived from the activities outlined in the indictment.
SPLC, headquartered in Montgomery, Alabama, has long described itself as a nonprofit organization focused on civil rights, racial justice, and monitoring extremist activity in the United States.
According to prosecutors, aspects of the alleged conduct date back to earlier decades, with claims that the organization maintained a covert network involving individuals connected to extremist groups.
The Department of Justice emphasized that the charges remain allegations at this stage, and the case will proceed through the federal court system.
