Federal Grand Jury Indicts SPLC For Funding KKK, Other Hate Groups

In a bombshell announcement, FBI Director Kash Patel announced federal charges against the Southern Poverty Law Center. The sweeping federal grand jury indictment would’ve been alarming enough on its own, given the SPLC’s size, scope, and (perhaps waning) influence. But once you look at what exactly the SPLC is being accused of, alarm quickly gives way to shock.

In short, the SPLC has been accused of funneling millions of dollars into the very extremist hate groups that it purports to combat. Yes, the self-proclaimed “catalyst for racial justice” that aims to “dismantle white supremacy” was charged with directly putting money into the pockets of groups like the Ku Klux Klan.

And no, you’re not reading satire from The Babylon Bee or The Onion right now.

What is the SPLC?

The SPLC is a nonprofit that was founded in 1971 and is currently headquartered in Montgomery, Alabama. The group often uses a combination of legal advocacy, campaigning, and networking with law enforcement groups to accomplish its goals. The group is also known for researching alleged “hate groups” throughout the country, which in turn has helped influence numerous things from law enforcement to corporate charity.

Alas, while the group may have begun with noble intentions, by the mid-1980s, the SPLC made a move towards being more of a fear-mongering, money-raising machine. This drastic shift led to the resignation of the entire SPLC legal department in 1985.

Since then, the group has only become more discredited, scandal-ridden, and ideologically slanted. But if these newest charges hold any water, even the SPLC’s staunchest critics may have underestimated just how far off its original path this once-venerable organization has veered.

What was the SPLC charged with?

A grand jury in Alabama returned an 11-count indictment charging the SPLC. Those charges include “wire fraud, false statements to a federally insured bank, and conspiracy to commit concealment money laundering.”

This is how the Justice Department describes the allegations: “[S]tarting 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.”

The DOJ added: “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…”

The indictment states that the purpose of this SPLC plot was to raise money through donations by making materially false claims and omissions about how the donated funds would be used. Just as alarmingly, the SPLC allegedly used fraudulent bank accounts opened under fictitious identities to secretly pay alleged operatives. The DOJ noted that the SPLC had “made a series of false statements related to the operation of the accounts.”

If the SPLC is convicted, it would trigger a forfeiture of the financial gains from this alleged scheme.

“The SPLC is manufacturing racism…”

Both Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel did not mince words when it came to these serious allegations.

“The SPLC allegedly engaged in a massive fraud operation to deceive their donors, enrich themselves, and hide their deceptive operations from the public,” Patel said. “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.”

Blanche was even more critical, bluntly stating, “The SPLC is manufacturing racism to justify its existence.”

The SPLC, for its part, has denied these allegations, per CNN. In fact, in trying to get out ahead of this story, the SPLC framed this as a matter of how they had paid confidential informants who were tasked with infiltrating these hate groups.

The SPLC’s checkered reputation may be catching up to it

The SPLC was already discredited prior to these bombshell allegations. In October 2025, the group was dropped by the FBI because of what Director Patel called the group’s “disgraceful record.”

“The Southern Poverty Law Center long ago abandoned civil rights work and turned into a partisan smear machine,” Patel said at the time.

That move came shortly after a joint letter (signed by multiple organizations, including Alliance Defending Freedom) was issued to the White House, condemning the SPLC over its so-called “hate map.”

That map tracked over 1,400 entities classified as hateful or extremist, but in reality, the map was little more than a smear tactic used to discredit anyone who disagrees with the SPLC’s radical ideology. Now, we see that the SPLC is accused of funding the very groups dotted across this “hate map” it peddled so ferociously.

The SPLC will have its day in court. And who knows if the DOJ will prove its case? But in light of these allegations, it would be hard to blame any donor for feeling duped—or worse.