Southern Poverty Law Center pleads not guilty in federal fraud case

Source: Politico

07/07/2026 08:18 PM EDT|Updated: 07/07/2026 09:18 PM EDT


MONTGOMERY, Alabama — The Southern Poverty Law Center, best known for monitoring hate groups, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to federal charges that it defrauded donors by not disclosing that some of the money would be used to pay informants in extremist organizations.

Attorney Abbe Lowell entered the not guilty plea on behalf of the organization to a superseding indictment that adds details about the charges first announced in April.

The Justice Department has accused the SPLC of funding extremist groups while publicly claiming it was working to dismantle them. The SPLC has denied wrongdoing and said the informant program provided critical intelligence about the work of the groups — information it regularly provided to law enforcement agencies.

The SPLC has accused the Justice Department of carrying out a vindictive prosecution as part of a retribution campaign against President Donald Trump’s perceived political enemies.

Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2026/07/07/southern-poverty-law-centers-pleads-not-guilty-in-federal-fraud-case-00989563