Florida AG Joins DOJ in Targeting Southern Poverty Law Center with Fraud Allegations

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has escalated legal pressure on the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), issuing a subpoena demanding documents related to the group’s fundraising practices and use of informants. This move follows a federal grand jury indictment charging the SPLC with wire fraud, bank fraud, and money laundering tied to a paid informant program targeting violent extremist groups.

Uthmeier’s subpoena, announced Monday, seeks proof that Floridians donated to the SPLC, whether the organization disclosed its use of paid informants, and if it funneled money to any groups listed as extremists. “The SPLC raises millions in charitable donations every year, while allegedly paying members and leaders within the very groups it purports to fight,” Uthmeier said. “If these allegations are true, there will be consequences.”

The federal indictment, secured in April, alleges the SPLC paid at least $3 million between 2014 and 2023 to eight informants embedded in extremist organizations like the Ku Klux Klan. Prosecutors claim the SPLC concealed this activity from banks by creating shell companies to disguise the flow of funds.

FBI Director Kash Patel, a Trump appointee, accused the SPLC of using these shell entities to deceive financial institutions and perpetuate fraud. Patel’s comments align with the DOJ’s broader narrative framing the SPLC as a deceptive organization manufacturing racism for profit.

SPLC interim CEO Bryan Fair vehemently denied the charges, calling the indictment “false allegations” and asserting the group’s 55-year legacy fighting white supremacy and injustice. Fair also accused the Trump administration of politically motivated targeting.

The indictment and subsequent state-level actions have drawn skepticism from legal experts and some lawmakers. Senator Dick Durbin labeled the federal case a “paper-thin indictment” and predicted its failure.

The SPLC has yet to respond publicly to the Florida subpoena. Uthmeier’s office has set a May 25 deadline for compliance.

This latest legal assault on the SPLC fits a pattern of weaponizing federal and state agencies to undermine organizations that expose corruption, racism, and authoritarian overreach. As investigations unfold, the stakes extend beyond one nonprofit to the broader fight over civil rights and democratic accountability in the Trump era.