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The case has reportedly been assigned to Judge Emily Marks, who was appointed during President Donald Trump’s administration.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche addressed reporters during a press conference and laid out the charges in detail. He said the grand jury indicted the SPLC on six counts of wire fraud, four counts of bank fraud, and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Blanche did not mince words when describing the allegations.
“The SPLC was not dismantling these groups. It was instead manufacturing the extremism it purports to oppose by paying sources to stoke racial hatred,” Blanche said.
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That statement alone is likely to send shockwaves through the political world, as the SPLC has long positioned itself as a moral authority on extremism while attacking conservative organizations and individuals.
Also appearing at the press conference was FBI Director Kash Patel, who described what investigators allegedly uncovered during the probe.
Patel said the SPLC used money raised from donors to bankroll leaders of the Ku Klux Klan and other extremist organizations, allegedly paying them to help stage so-called hate crimes.
If proven true, the accusations would represent one of the most disturbing fraud scandals involving a major nonprofit in recent memory.
Investigators further alleged the group created shell companies to hide its financial role in supporting those operations and to keep the money trail out of public view.
Patel said the deception extended directly to donors who believed they were supporting legitimate anti-hate efforts.
“They used the fraudulently raised money by lying to their donor network — thousands of Americans, to go ahead and actually pay the leadership of these supposed violent extremist groups,” Patel said.
He then added another alarming claim about the scope of the investigation.
“Furthermore, our investigation revealed that the Southern Poverty Law Center, on top of perpetuating this widespread decade-long multimillion dollar fraud, conducted more criminal activity,” he added.
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Watch the full press conference here:
That remark suggests prosecutors may not be finished and could bring additional charges depending on what is uncovered moving forward.
The indictment also reignited criticism of the SPLC’s past targeting of conservatives.
Last May, the organization labeled Turning Point USA a “hate group,” a designation many critics blasted as politically motivated and reckless. That listing also drew attention because of its impact on TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk, who has frequently been the target of intense left-wing hostility.
According to the supplied report, only months later, a leftist murdered Charlie Kirk at an event at Utah Valley University.
The federal case now threatens to completely upend the SPLC’s public image, fundraising network, and political influence.
For years, legacy media outlets and Democrat politicians cited the group’s reports as credible evidence when smearing conservatives, Christians, border hawks, and grassroots activists. Now the organization itself stands accused of serious federal crimes.
If prosecutors can prove their allegations in court, the fallout could be historic.
What was once marketed as a watchdog may now be facing its own day of reckoning.
