DOJ says it has superseding indictment against Southern Poverty Law Center
Summary
The Justice Department has issued a new version of the charges against the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), adding details about how donations were allegedly used to pay informants in hate groups. The SPLC faces charges of fraud and money laundering but denies wrongdoing and says it helped prevent violence.Key Facts
- The DOJ filed a superseding indictment against the SPLC in Alabama with new details but no new charges or defendants.
- The indictment says about $4.1 million in tax-exempt funds were used to pay informants inside extremist groups.
- These informants allegedly took part in recruiting members and buying materials for hate group activities.
- The DOJ claims the SPLC did not tell donors about these payments and used fake bank accounts to hide money transfers.
- SPLC faces 11 counts including wire fraud, bank fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
- SPLC pleaded not guilty and claims it did not mislead donors or banks and that its informants helped stop violence.
- The new indictment fixed legal language errors from the first version related to false vs. misleading statements, following a Supreme Court ruling.
- SPLC's lawyer criticized the DOJ for sharing the indictment with the media before court approval.
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