MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The leader of the Southern Poverty Law Center pleaded not guilty Thursday on behalf of the organization to charges that the civil rights group defrauded donors by failing to disclose that money would be paid to informants inside extremist groups.
The group’s interim president and CEO, Bryan Fair, appeared in federal court in Montgomery representing the SPLC on charges of money laundering conspiracy, wire fraud and false statements to a bank.
A grand jury indictment was filed April 21 by the U.S. Justice Department. The charges are an extraordinary strike against the Alabama-based organization, which works to combat discrimination and racism particularly in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi.
The SPLC has denied wrongdoing. No individuals are charged in the case. The trial is set to begin in October.
The group has drawn criticism from conservatives including FBI Director Kash Patel, especially after it included Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point USA in a report about “hate and extremism.” Kirk was killed during a Utah college appearance in 2025.
The Justice Department accuses the organization of defrauding donors by using their money to fund the same extremism it says it fights. At least $3 million went to informants affiliated with the Ku Klux Klan, the Aryan Nations, the National Socialist Party of America and other groups between 2014 and 2023, the indictment says.
Fair has said the payments went to confidential informants to monitor threats of violence from the extremist groups. The information gathered helped save lives, he said, and was frequently shared with the FBI.
“The charges against the SPLC are provably wrong; they are based on inaccurate facts and a misapplication of law,” Fair said in a statement released after Thursday’s hearing. “ Our informant program was successful in accomplishing its purposes: Threats and attacks were prevented, criminal activity was stopped, and information was gathered to dismantle the efforts of hate and extremist groups.”
“The SPLC is no stranger to legal threats by those on the wrong side of history,” Fair continued. “In our 55 years, we have faced and prevailed in numerous fights.”
During Thursday’s arraignment, the SPLC’s attorney Adde Lowell said that the defense may try to dismiss the charges in the coming weeks on the basis of “vindictive prosecution,” echoing supporters who have said that the SPLC is being unfairly targeted by the Trump administration for its civil rights triumphs.
U.S. Attorney Kevin Davidson dismissed that idea after the trial, saying that his office is following standard procedure for the case.
“There was nothing vindictive about this prosecution,” Davidson told reporters.
Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche recently acknowledged that the organization has a history of sharing information with law enforcement after he was challenged for saying the opposite.
“That’s well-documented, and there’s no dispute there. They aren’t charged with any of that conduct,” Blanche said.
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Associated Press writer Ed White in Detroit contributed.
