The Department of Justice (DOJ) obtained a superseding indictment against the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) on Tuesday.
The superseding indictment is similar to an indictment a Montgomery grand jury returned in April, charging the SPLC with 11 counts of wire fraud, false statements to a federally insured bank and money laundering.
The SPLC filed a motion in federal court last week to dismiss the charges against it as "vindictive prosecution."
The superseding indictment alleges the SPLC funneled approximately $4.1 million in tax-exempt donor funds for a series of fictitious accounts linked to individuals “leading or affiliated with multiple violent extremist organizations.”
“The Southern Poverty Law Center’s stated mission included the dismantling of white supremacy and confronting hate across the country. However, unbeknownst to donors, some of their donated money was being used to fund the leaders and organizers of racist groups, including the Ku Klux Klan, the Aryan Nations, and the National Alliance,” Kevin Davidson, First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Alabama, said in the indictment released on Tuesday.
The SPLC pleaded not guilty to the charges at a May hearing in federal court in Montgomery. A trial has been set for October.
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