The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) pleaded not guilty on Tuesday in an arraignment in Montgomery for a superseding indictment by the Department of Justice (DOJ).
The superseding indictment released in June 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 is manufacturing racism to justify its existence,” acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in April. “Using donor money to allegedly profit off Klansmen cannot go unchecked. This Department of Justice will hold the SPLC and every other fraudulent organization operating with the same deceptive playbook accountable. No entity is above the law.”
The SPLC filed a motion in federal court in May 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 in June.
A trial has been set for October.
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