The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) entered not guilty pleas on July 7 to 11 federal criminal counts, including wire fraud, false statements to a bank, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. The charges stem from allegations that the nonprofit diverted $4.1 million in donor funds to informants infiltrating extremist groups it publicly opposed.
The arraignment, held via videoconference before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kelly F. Pate in Montgomery, Alabama, followed a superseding indictment filed on June 2. The original indictment, announced on April 21 by FBI Director Kash Patel and acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche, accused the SPLC of transferring over $3 million to leaders and organizers of racist groups, including the Ku Klux Klan, the Aryan Nation, and the National Alliance, between 2014 and 2023.
Prosecutors allege the SPLC used fake entities like “Rare Books Warehouse” and “Tech Writers Group” to funnel money to informants. One informant reportedly helped organize the deadly 2017 “Unite the Right” protest in Charlottesville, Virginia. The SPLC faces up to 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine, though U.S. Attorney Kevin Davidson noted the organization, as a nonprofit, would not face imprisonment.
The SPLC’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, emphasized the nonprofit’s status and its role in defending white-collar crimes. Lowell has previously represented high-profile Democratic figures, including New York Attorney General Letitia James and Hunter Biden.