SPLC Indicted on 11 Federal Counts

The Southern Poverty Law Center faces charges of wire fraud, bank fraud, and money laundering for allegedly paying secret informants without disclosing the payments to donors.

On April 21, 2026, a federal grand jury in the U.S. District Court in Montgomery, Alabama, indicted the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) on 11 counts, including six counts of wire fraud, four counts of bank fraud, and one count of money laundering. The indictment, announced by Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, alleges that the civil rights organization secretly paid at least $3 million to individuals affiliated with extremist groups between 2014 and 2023 without disclosing these payments to its donors.

The Allegations

The indictment alleges that the SPLC paid individuals associated with organizations including 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 America Front. According to the Department of Justice (DOJ), the SPLC referred to these paid informants as "field sources."

Prosecutors allege that the SPLC did not disclose the informant program to donors, which they stated is required for nonprofit transparency. The DOJ further alleged that money was transferred through two bank accounts and loaded onto prepaid cards for informants. The indictment includes details about at least nine unnamed informants paid through a program prosecutors say began in the 1980s.

Specific Examples Cited

• One informant affiliated with the neo-Nazi National Alliance was paid over $1 million between 2014 and 2023.
• Another informant was identified as the Imperial Wizard of the United Klans of America.
• The SPLC paid approximately $270,000 over eight years to a member of a leadership group involved in planning the 2017 Unite the Right protest in Charlottesville, Virginia.

"The SPLC was not dismantling the groups. It was instead manufacturing the extremism it purports to oppose by paying sources to stoke racial hatred." — Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche

Responses

Southern Poverty Law Center

Bryan Fair, interim CEO of the SPLC, stated that the organization is facing a criminal investigation and possible charges. In a video posted prior to the indictment, Fair said the investigation appeared to focus on the group's use of confidential informants who gathered evidence on what he described as "extremely violent groups." He stated that these confidential sources provided information to the FBI that "saved lives."

Following the indictment, Fair issued a statement saying, "We are outraged by the false allegations levied against SPLC." He defended the organization's work, stating, "Taking on violent hate and extremist groups is among the most dangerous work there is... this program saved lives." Fair said the SPLC would vigorously defend itself, its staff, and its work. He noted that the program was kept confidential to protect informant safety, citing historical violence during the Civil Rights Movement.

Donor Perspectives

According to a report by The Intercept, interviews and survey responses collected from over a dozen verified donors to the SPLC indicated support for the organization following the indictment. All 20 donors who responded stated they continued to support the organization and felt their money was well used, including for paying informants. Seven donors were interviewed; 13 responded via survey. Some donors reported making additional contributions after learning of the indictment. No respondents reported feeling defrauded or deceived by the SPLC's use of funds.

Other Organizations

Over 100 civil rights groups, labor unions, and religious organizations signed a mutual defense pact in support of the SPLC, committing to defend one another against the current administration's actions.

Legal Experts

Law professor Phil Hackney commented that the government's approach is unusual, targeting the method and intent of how a non-profit used its money, rather than personal enrichment. Federal criminal defense attorney Todd Spodek stated that the case appears to be a political attack on standard investigative tradecraft and that silence on tactical details is not a crime.

Background

The SPLC was founded in 1971 in Montgomery, Alabama, as a civil rights legal clinic. The organization shifted focus in 1979 to confront hate groups directly through litigation and its "Hatewatch" project. For decades, the SPLC has used civil lawsuits to combat white supremacist groups.

The organization has long faced criticism from Republicans on Capitol Hill. In December 2025, House Republicans held a hearing about the SPLC, alleging coordination with the Biden administration to target conservative Americans.

In October 2025, FBI Director Kash Patel stated in an interview that the FBI had "jettisoned all relationships with the Southern Poverty Law Center." Patel referred to the SPLC as a "partisan smear machine." This statement was made in the context of officials working on a report about "anti-Christian bias."

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Alabama, which is headed by Acting U.S. Attorney Kevin Davidson (in the role since 2024), stated, "as a matter of Department of Justice policy, we generally do not confirm, deny, or otherwise comment on the existence or non-existence of investigations."

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in an interview last week that Americans should be "happy" that President Donald Trump is closely involved in the Justice Department's operations.