US charges anti-extremism group over payments to informants in hate groups
Summary
The US Department of Justice charged the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) with fraud and conspiracy for paying informants inside extremist hate groups like the Ku Klux Klan. The DOJ says the SPLC used donated money to fund these informants, accusing the group of misleading supporters about how funds were used; the SPLC denies wrongdoing and says it will defend itself.Key Facts
- The DOJ charged SPLC with wire fraud, bank fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
- The SPLC paid over $3 million to informants linked to violent extremist groups from 2014 to 2023.
- Some informants infiltrated groups including the Ku Klux Klan, National Alliance, and National Socialist Movement.
- SPLC gave $270,000 to a person involved in the 2017 Charlottesville "Unite the Right" rally and over $1 million to another who stole documents from a hate group.
- Acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche said SPLC was not dismantling hate groups but creating extremism by paying sources to increase racial hatred.
- SPLC’s interim leader said the organization has fought white supremacy for 55 years and will vigorously defend itself.
- The FBI ended its relationship with SPLC in 2023, calling it a "partisan smear machine."
- Republicans have accused SPLC of unfairly targeting conservative groups and individuals aligned with President Donald Trump’s administration.
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