Southern Poverty Law Center Executive Accused of Misusing Donations

An executive associated with the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) faces allegations of misdirecting $1.2 million in donations to an informant linked to the white supremacist group National Alliance—who is reportedly also her girlfriend.

The Department of Justice has issued a superseding indictment against the SPLC, claiming the organization channeled donor funds towards hate groups while misleading contributors about their efforts.

One individual named in the indictment as “Employee-2” is recognized as likely being the SPLC’s intelligence project director.

This person, believed to be Heidi Beirich, age 58, who specializes in fascism, worked as the information director for the SPLC from 2012 until 2019.

The indictment states that Beirich maintained a close relationship with an informant, identified as “F-9,” who had infiltrated a neo-Nazi organization.

It alleges that Beirich and F-9 not only shared a home but also had joint bank accounts. From 2015 to 2021, around $140,000 in donor funds was reportedly diverted from SPLC’s operating accounts into their shared account.

According to the indictment, this amount constitutes about 66% of all funds put into their joint accounts, which were later used for their personal expenses.

It further accuses anonymous informants, who were compensated by the SPLC, of raising money for the National Alliance and assisting in extremist activities.

In 2014, a source allegedly broke into the National Alliance headquarters in West Virginia, stealing roughly 25 boxes of documents, which were then transported across state lines and copied before returning the originals.

Beirich authored an article in 2015 that supposedly utilized stolen material, titled “chaos on the premises,” which continues to circulate.

The SPLC reportedly tried to obscure the informant’s identity by compensating another informant to take responsibility for the break-in.

Neither Beirich nor the SPLC have commented on these claims.

William White Williams, the president of the National Alliance, expressed certainty that “Employee-2” is indeed Beirich, reinforcing that the indictment’s specifics align with his group’s experiences.

Williams speculated that some former members of the movement may have approached the SPLC for help but instead found themselves compensated for their ties to the organization.

Beirich joined the SPLC in 1999 and climbed to the intelligence projects director role in 2012. She resigned in 2019 during a time of significant organizational upheaval when multiple executives departed amid allegations of racism and sexual harassment.

The SPLC is facing charges of wire fraud, bank fraud, and conspiracy in relation to laundering money while simultaneously condemning racist groups online.

Federal authorities accused the SPLC of contributing over $4 million to hate groups, contradicting its stated mission to dismantle such organizations. Notably, the SPLC has reportedly raised around $800 million over time.

As of 2013, the National Alliance’s membership had dwindled significantly, transitioning from around 1,400 members to just about 20.

Currently, the identity of informant “F-9,” who allegedly received $1.2 million over a span of two decades, remains unclear. Property records show he owned a residence in Montgomery, Alabama, and a vacation home in Elijay, Georgia, during the timeframe in question.

Williams expressed uncertainty about F-9’s identity within the group, adding that paranoia regarding potential informants was prevalent among members.

The National Alliance was established in 1974 by William Pearce, who headed the group until his death in 2002.

There’s speculation surrounding Robert Demarais, a former manager at the National Alliance, as the only person with access to sensitive documents at the time of the theft.

Some have wondered if former chairman Erich Griebe might have had connections to the leak, especially given his turbulent personal history.

After leaving the SPLC in 2019, Beirich founded her own initiative focused on tracking hate groups.

A recent article detailed that Randolph Dilloway, who provided compensation for the stolen documents, is an eccentric figure known to have worked with multiple hate organizations prior to his time at the National Alliance.

This case has broad implications, not just for the SPLC and Beirich but for the ongoing struggle against hate groups and the sometimes murky waters of informant relationships.