politics
Justice Department Charges Southern Poverty Law Center with Fraud and Money Laundering in Probe of Undercover Payments
The Southern Poverty Law Center has been charged with multiple counts of fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. The Justice Department alleges the organization funneled funds to individuals linked to hate groups through shell entities. Defenses highlight the tactic's use in infiltrating such groups, citing past threats to the SPLC.
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The Southern Poverty Law Center is facing six counts of wire fraud, four counts of bank fraud, and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, according to a case brought forward by the Justice Department. The Justice Department alleges that the Southern Poverty Law Center created bank accounts for fictional organizations and funneled money through shell entities to disguise the source of the money.
The money allegedly went to individuals affiliated with the Ku Klux Klan and neo-Nazi organizations.
That includes $270,000 allegedly paid by the Southern Poverty Law Center over eight years to someone involved in organizing the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, Washington Examiner reported. The Unite the Right rally, which occurred in 2017, led to the death of a counterprotester.
The Unite the Right rally also led to an increase in donations to anti-hate groups such as the Southern Poverty Law Center, Washington Examiner reported.
The Southern Poverty Law Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. SPLC interim CEO Bryan Fair stated that paying sources to infiltrate hate groups was necessary because the SPLC’s offices were firebombed 43 years ago and there have been alleged threats against SPLC staff.
