Southern Poverty Law Center Pleads Not Guilty to Federal Fraud Charges Over Informant Payments

The Southern Poverty Law Center pleaded not guilty Thursday to all counts in a federal indictment charging the organization with defrauding donors by surreptitiously paying millions to informants within extremist groups. Bryan Fair, the interim CEO of the Southern Poverty Law Center, denied any wrongdoing at the center’s first court appearance since the release of the explosive April 21 indictment.

The indictment charged the Southern Poverty Law Center with 11 counts of bank fraud, wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

The arraignment occurred in federal court in Montgomery, Alabama. ” He added in a statement that the center’s informant program was successful in accomplishing its purposes. “Our informant program was successful in accomplishing its purposes: Threats and attacks were prevented, criminal activity was stopped, and information was gathered to dismantle the efforts of hate and extremist groups,” Fair stated.

The Justice Department said the Southern Poverty Law Center funneled more than $3 million to White supremacist groups from 2014 to 2023. The organization used bank accounts with the names of phony businesses for the payments and did not disclose the payments to the nonprofit organization’s contributors.

Informants receiving payments were affiliated with the Ku Klux Klan, Aryan Nations, National Alliance, and National Socialist Party of America, also known as the Nazi Party of America.

The Southern Poverty Law Center paid $270,000 to an insider who helped organize and provide transportation for the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, a violent gathering of white supremacists. ” Blanche had said the government had “no information” about the center sharing information gathered from informants with law enforcement.

” The Southern Poverty Law Center asked the court to disclose the transcripts of the grand jury proceedings.

U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Alabama Kevin Davidson filed a response on Tuesday. ’” “To the extent that any clarification was needed, Acting Attorney General Blanche’s remarks on a major Sunday television program certainly suffice,” Davidson said in the Tuesday filing.

The Washington Times reported that the indictment was released on April 21, 2026.