April 21, 2026investigationcivil rightsrule of lawnonprofit accountabilityDOJ enforcementcivil rightsgovernment accountabilityrule of law
Federal grand jury indicts SPLC on wire fraud and money laundering charges
A federal grand jury in Montgomery, Alabama returned an indictment on April 21, 2026, charging the Southern Poverty Law Center with 11 federal counts — wire fraud, false statements to a federally insured bank, and conspiracy to commit concealment money laundering. Prosecutors alleged the SPLC deceived donors by secretly paying more than $3 million to infiltrators inside violent extremist organizations using a network of fictitious shell entities. The SPLC denied wrongdoing, saying its informant program saved lives.
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Federal Grand Jury Charges Southern Poverty Law Center for Wire Fraud, False Statements, and Conspiracy to Commit Money LaunderingSouthern Poverty Law Center indicted on charges that it fraudulently paid informants in extremist groupsThe Poverty of the DOJ Indictment of the Southern Poverty Law Center