The Southern Poverty Law Center pleaded not guilty Thursday to federal fraud and money laundering charges tied to its use of paid informants within extremist groups, with the organization vowing to aggressively fight the case.
The SPLC was arraigned Thursday afternoon in federal court in Montgomery, Alabama, where federal prosecutors accused the group of improperly using more than $3 million in donor funds to pay informants connected to organizations including the Ku Klux Klan, Aryan Nations affiliates, and individuals who helped organize the 2017 “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Federal prosecutors allege the SPLC paid at least $3 million between 2014 and 2023 to informants tied to extremist organizations while misleading donors about how contributions were being used. The charges include six counts of wire fraud, four counts of bank fraud, and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Following the hearing, SPLC interim President and CEO Bryan Fair
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