The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) pleads not guilty in federal court to a fraud indictment brought by the Trump administration. At its first appearance, an SPLC leader enters pleas of not guilty to all counts. Prosecutors allege SPLC defrauded donors by operating a now-defunct informant program that paid people embedded in right-wing extremist groups. The indictment, filed last month in the U.S. attorney’s office for the Middle District of Alabama, includes multiple counts involving fraud and related conduct, and prosecutors also allege conspiracy and money-laundering.
According to reporting across outlets, the government alleges SPLC funneled more than $3 million to informants tied to extremist organizations through the program, which has since ended. The SPLC says it will fight the federal charges. Legal experts cited in one account describe the case as potentially weak, while the government continues to pursue the prosecution. The proceedings take place in the Middle District of Alabama, which includes Montgomery.
