Overview
- At a Thursday hearing in Montgomery, the Southern Poverty Law Center pleaded not guilty to 11 counts that include wire fraud, making false statements to a bank, and a concealment money‑laundering conspiracy.
- Prosecutors told the court that Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s April 26 Fox News Sunday remark acknowledging the SPLC has at times shared information with law enforcement addressed his earlier, inaccurate TV comment suggesting the opposite.
- The SPLC is seeking grand jury transcripts, arguing prosecutors misstated the law or facts to secure the indictment, while the Justice Department calls the claim speculative and opposes disclosure.
- Defense attorney Abbe Lowell said a superseding indictment may be coming, which he warned could push back a trial date that had been expected in the fall.
- The indictment centers on claims the group covertly routed about $3 million from 2014 to 2023 to informants tied to extremist groups such as the KKK, which the SPLC defends as lawful work that produced tips the FBI used to prevent violence.