Washington— A federal grand jury in Alabama indicted the Southern Poverty Law Center on 11 counts of wire and bank fraud-related charges on Tuesday, the Justice Department announced, accusing the group of paying members of extremist groups as part of its efforts to investigate them without disclosing the practice to donors or banks.

The SPLC has denied the allegations.

"The SPLC is a nonprofit entity that purports to fight white supremacy and racial hatred by reporting on extremist groups and conducting research to inform law enforcement groups with the goal of dismantling these groups," Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said at a news conference announcing the charges. "The SPLC was not dismantling these groups. It was instead manufacturing the extremism it purports to oppose by paying sources to stoke racial hatred."

Blanche said the group was charged with six counts of wire fraud, four counts of bank fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.

The SPLC is a nonprofit that tracks white supremacist and other hate groups across the U.S., and has been a frequent target of President Trump's allies. It is best known for its work investigating the Ku Klux Klan.

The charges came hours after the center's interim president and CEO Bryan Fair said in avideothat the organization wasbeing investigated by the Justice Departmentin connection with a now-defunct program that used paid confidential informants to infiltrate far-right groups.

Blanche said the paid informant program at the Southern Poverty Law Center went through at least 2023. He also claimed that the investigation into the group started years ago, but was shuttered during President Joe Biden's term, until the Trump ad

He alleged that in one case, the group paid the leader of the group that planned the far-right Unite the Right protest in Charlottesville, Va., in 2017. During that protest, anti-racism activist Heather Heyer was killed after a white supremacist drove his car into the crowd.

In a statement, Bryan Fair said the group is "outraged by the false accusations."

"Taking on violent hate and extremist groups is among the most dangerous work there is, and we believe it is also among the most important work we do. To be clear, this program saved lives," Fair said. "The actions by the DOJ will not shake our resolve to fight for justice and ensure the promise of the Civil Rights movement becomes a reality for all. SPLC will vigorously defend ourselves, our staff and our work; we will continue to fight hate; and we will continue to envision and create a safer and more just world."

Source: Drudge Report