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scale of justice - splc

Southern Poverty Law Center Charged with 11 Federal Counts — Influence Reaches Rhode Island

April 22, 2026/RINewsToday

FBI Statement, SPLC Statement, and On April 21, 2026, a federal grand jury in Alabama, charged the Southern Poverty Law Center with 11 felony counts of wire fraud, false statements to banks, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Prosecutors allege the SPLC funneled over $3 million in donor funds from 2014 to 2023 to leaders and members of white supremacist groups like the Ku Klux Klan, National Socialist Movement, and others involved in the 2017 Unite the Right rally, using fake entities to hide the payments.

The FBI called it a fraud operation manufacturing racism for profit, while SPLC described the payments as standard informant work and vowed a strong defense. 

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The Southern Poverty Law Center, while not based in Rhode Island and not a direct player in local legal cases, has had a consistent influence on the public conversation across RI. Its reports and classifications are frequently cited by media outlets, advocacy organizations, and occasionally universities such as Roger Williams University when addressing issues tied to extremism, hate groups, or controversial speech. In practice, the SPLC functions less as a legal authority and more as a national reference point that helps frame how certain groups or movements are discussed, shaping tone and context even when its findings are debated or challenged.

Rhode Island Connection

Groups being “Tracked” in Rhode Island by the SPLC, going back to 2022:

Groups identified by the SPLC as active or present in Rhode Island in recent years include organizations categorized under anti-government movements, conspiracy-based networks, and white nationalist or neo-Nazi ideologies.

  1. Antigovernment General – Moms for Liberty – Washington County, RI Chapter – Cities: Saunderstown
  2. Antigovernment General – Parents’ Rights in Education – Rhode Island – Cities: Cranston
  3. Conspiracy Propagandists – John Birch Society – RI Statewide- Cities: Statewide
  4. Conspiracy Propagandists- TruthRadioShow.com – Cities: Hope
  5. General Hate – Proud Boys – Rhode Island Proud Boys – Cities: Statewide
  6. Neo-Nazi – Nationalist Social Club (NSC-131)- Cities: Statewide
  7. Neo-Nazi – People’s Initiative of New England – Rhode Island – Cities: Statewide
  8. Sovereign Citizens Movement – Rise of the Moors – Cities: Pawtucket
  9. White Nationalist – Patriot Front – Rhode Island – Cities: Statewide

SPLC’s New England “Hate Map” (full US map at link):

 

As the legal case unfolds, the organization’s long-standing role in shaping how extremism is defined—and discussed—may come under renewed scrutiny, both nationally and here in Rhode Island.

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The FBI announcement, followed by the statement of the SPLC:

Federal Grand Jury Charges Southern Poverty Law Center for Wire Fraud, False Statements, and Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering

U.S. Attorney’s Office, Middle District of Alabama:

A Grand Jury in Montgomery, Alabama, today returned an indictment charging the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) with 11 counts of wire fraud, false statements to a federally insured bank, and conspiracy to commit concealment money laundering. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Alabama Northern Division filed two forfeiture actions to recover alleged proceeds of the organization’s fraud scheme. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigated this case with assistance from the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI).

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

“The SPLC is manufacturing racism to justify its existence,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “Using donor money to allegedly profit off Klansmen cannot go unchecked. This Department of Justice will hold the SPLC and every other fraudulent organization operating with the same deceptive playbook accountable. No entity is above the law.”

“The SPLC allegedly engaged in a massive fraud operation to deceive their donors, enrich themselves, and hide their deceptive operations from the public,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “They lied to their donors, vowing to dismantle violent extremist groups, and actually turned around and paid the leaders of these very extremist groups – even utilizing the funds to have these groups facilitate the commission of state and federal crimes. That is illegal – and this is an ongoing investigation against all individuals involved.”

The SPLC is a non-profit organization headquartered in Montgomery, Alabama, whose mission, according to its website during the relevant time period, was to be a “catalyst for racial justice in the South and beyond, working in partnership with communities to dismantle white supremacy, strengthen intersectional movements, and advance the human rights of all people.”

According to the indictment starting in the 1980s, the SPLC began operating a covert network of individuals who were either associated with violent and extremist groups, such as the Ku Klux Klan, or who had infiltrated violent extremist groups at the SPLC’s direction.  Unbeknownst to donors, some of their donated money was being used to fund the leaders and organizers of racist groups at the same time that the SPLC was denouncing the same groups on its website.

“Donors gave their money believing they were supporting the fight against violent extremism,” said Acting United States Attorney Kevin Davidson. “As alleged, the SPLC instead diverted a portion of those funds to benefit individuals and groups they claimed to oppose. That kind of deception undermines public trust and social cohesion.”

“Today’s indictment reflects that no one – no organization – is above the law,” said Special Agent in Charge Sara J. Jones with the FBI-Mobile Field Office. “Charitable donors deserve transparency about how their contributions will be used, and those who betray that trust through concealment and fraudulent means must be held accountable. The alleged fraudulent activities of the Southern Poverty Law Center sowed hate-filled discord and spurred criminal conduct as set forth in the indictment. The FBI will continue to work tirelessly to protect the American public from financial crimes and to pursue justice against those who violate public trust.”

Between 2014 and 2023, the SPLC secretly funneled more than $3 million in donated funds to individuals who were associated with various violent extremist groups including:

  • Ku Klux Klan
  • United Klans of America
  • Unite the Right
  • National Alliance
  • National Socialist Movement
  • Aryan Nations affiliated Sadistic Souls Motorcycle Club
  • National Socialist Party of America (American Nazi Party)
  • American Front

According to the indictment, the objective of the scheme and artifice was to obtain money via donations through materially false representations and omissions about what the donated funds would be used for.

In order to covertly pay the individuals, the SPLC opened bank accounts connected to a series of fictitious entities. The covert nature of the accounts allowed the SPLC to disguise the true nature, source, ownership, and control of the fraudulently obtained donated money the SPLC paid the individuals. In order to keep the scheme going, the SPLC made a series of false statements related to the operation of the accounts.

A conviction will result in the forfeiture of financial gains from the alleged illegal activities.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel made the announcement in Washington.

The details contained in the civil forfeiture complaint are allegations only.

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Statement of the Southern Poverty Law Center:

“For 55 years, the Southern Poverty Law Center has stood as a beacon of hope, fighting white supremacy and various forms of injustice to create a multi-racial democracy where we can all live and thrive. We are therefore unsurprised to be the latest organization targeted by this administration. They have made no secret of who they want to protect and who they want to destroy.
For example, in October, FBI Director Cash Patel announced the bureau would sever its ties with the SPLC. And in December, House Republicans held a hearing to accuse us of being partisan and profitable. The latest threat is the most serious, a criminal investigation and possible charges against the SPLC or some of our employees.
Although we don’t know all the details, the focus appears to be on the SPLC’s prior use of paid confidential informants to gather credible intelligence on extremely violent groups. This use of informance was necessary because we are no stranger to threats of violence.
In 1983, our offices were firebombed, and in the years since, there have been countless credible threats against our staff. For decades, we engaged in unprecedented litigation to dismantle the clan and other hate groups. In light of that work, we sought to protect the safety of our staff and the public.
We frequently shared what we learned from informants with local and federal law enforcement, including the FBI. We did not, however, share our use of informants broadly with anyone to protect the identity and safety of the informants and their families.
And while we no longer work with paid informants, we continue to take their safety seriously. These individuals risked their lives to infiltrate and inform on the activities of our nation’s most radical and violent extremist groups. When we began working with informants, we were living in the shadow of the height of the civil rights movement, which had seen bombings at churches, state sponsored violence against demonstrators, and the murders of activists that went unanswered by the justice system. There is no question that what we learned from informants saved lives.
Today, the federal government has been weaponized to dismantle the rights of our nation’s most vulnerable people. and any organization like ours that tries to stand in the breach. We stood in the vanguard then and we stand in the vanguard today. We will not be intimidated into silence or contrition and we will not abandon our mission or the communities we serve.
This moment in history finds Americans in a critical struggle between those who continue to pull and bend the ark of history toward justice and those who resist progress. We will vigorously defend ourselves, our staff, and our work. We will continue to fight hate, and we will continue to seek a safer and more just world. We trust that the many people and organizations who share our commitment to defending civil society will stand with us as together we fight injustice. Thank you.”
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