Southern Poverty Law Center Faces Federal Indictment Alleging Secret Payments to Hate Groups
*The Southern Poverty Law Center, long regarded as a prominent civil rights organization, is now at the center of a sweeping federal criminal case after Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche announced a grand jury indictment against the group on Tuesday. According to NBC News, the 11-count indictment includes six counts of wire fraud, four counts […] The post Southern Poverty Law Center Faces Federal Indictment Alleging Secret Payments to Hate Groups appeared first on EURweb | Black News, Culture, Entertainment & More.
Black News 
*The Southern Poverty Law Center, long regarded as a prominent civil rights organization, is now at the center of a sweeping federal criminal case after Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche announced a grand jury indictment against the group on Tuesday.
According to NBC News, the 11-count indictment includes six counts of wire fraud, four counts of making false statements to a federally insured bank, and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. The DOJ alleges the organization covertly funneled over $3 million across nearly a decade to paid contacts embedded within hate organizations, among them the Ku Klux Klan, the National Socialist Movement, and the American Front.
FBI Director Kash Patel alleged at the news conference that the payments were deliberately obscured through a network of dummy companies and fraudulent banking arrangements. Blanche noted the probe had previously been halted during the prior administration before being reopened once Trump took office for a second term.
SPLC interim CEO Bryan Fair pushed back, calling the charges false and accusing the Trump administration of using the Justice Department as a political weapon.
“Taking on violent hate and extremist groups is among the most dangerous work there is, and we believe it is also among the most important work we do,” Fair said. “The actions by the DOJ will not shake our resolve to fight for justice and ensure the promise of the Civil Rights movement becomes a reality for all.”
Fair also defended the organization’s use of confidential sources, saying they “risked their lives to infiltrate and inform on the activities of our nation’s most radical and violent extremist groups” and provided intelligence to the FBI that “saved lives.”
The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Emily Marks, a Trump appointee.
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The post Southern Poverty Law Center Faces Federal Indictment Alleging Secret Payments to Hate Groups appeared first on EURweb | Black News, Culture, Entertainment & More.
