Federal officials announced on Tuesday that the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has compensated members of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) for their involvement in cross burnings.
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) revealed that the SPLC admitted to using donor contributions to support leaders and organizations tied to racist groups, including the KKK, Aryan Nation, and National Union.
“The SPLC’s paid informants (‘field sources’) were actively promoting these racist organizations even while openly condemning them on their website,” the Justice Department noted in a recent indictment.
The DOJ further claims that about $4.1 million in tax-exempt funds was allocated to these informants for activities like recruiting new members, cross burnings, and purchasing KKK attire.
The SPLC still contends with 11 charges, such as wire fraud, false bank statements, and conspiracy to launder money, all of which were detailed in an indictment filed in April.
A new indictment submitted in federal court in Montgomery, Alabama, lays out how the SPLC misused donations intended to “expose hate and injustice” and “combat discrimination” to compensate informants.
According to the indictment, two KKK members, referred to in documents as F-31 and F-32, approached the SPLC in 2010 out of safety concerns and a desire to exit the KKK.
Prosecutors allege they received $1,200 monthly, plus expenses, through a shell company called Rare Book Warehouse, to stay in the Klan while assisting in their departure from the hate group.
Some of these funds were reportedly used to recruit new KKK members and procure white robes, with additional reimbursements covering costs for events involving bonfires.
The Justice Department has accused the SPLC of financing “extremist group meetings,” establishing new branches of hate groups, and distributing “racist paraphernalia” as well as other “extremist literature.”
The SPLC’s informants included the Klan’s Imperial Wizard and a leader from a private chat group that organized the 2017 “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, as indicated in the indictment.
A report from the Department of Justice highlighted that from 2014 to 2023, the SPLC allegedly funneled over $3 million to individuals affiliated with the KKK, Unite the Right, the Aryan Nation, and other extremist factions.
Additionally, the SPLC reportedly compensated members of the National Alliance with more than $1 million for engaging in activities such as breaking into their headquarters and stealing documents that were then given to left-leaning organizations.
