DOJ announces its latest criminal target. It’s a nonprofit group that tracks right-wing extremists

The Southern Poverty Law Center said Tuesday that it is under criminal investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice tied to its past use of paid informants. Civil rights advocates warn that it could have devastating implications for organizations that monitor extremism.

The Montgomery, Alabama-based group disclosed the probe itself, saying federal authorities are examining how it used confidential sources to infiltrate extremist organizations and gather intelligence, at times shared with law enforcement. The Justice Department announced that a federal grand jury has returned an indictment against the Southern Poverty Law Center, alleging financial crimes related to payments made to individuals within extremist groups as part of the organization’s intelligence-gathering efforts.

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Prosecutors said the payments, which spanned years, raise questions about how the organization disclosed those activities to donors and regulators.

In a video statement released Tuesday, SPLC Interim CEO Bryan Fair said the organization has long relied on such methods to confront violent threats, calling it “a beacon of hope” that has spent decades fighting white supremacy and working toward a multiracial democracy. He said the investigation appears to focus on the group’s prior use of paid informants to gather intelligence on “extremely violent groups,” describing the practice as necessary to protect staff and the public.

Fair said SPLC frequently shared information from informants with local and federal law enforcement, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, but did not publicly disclose the practice to protect informants’ identities. He added that the organization no longer works with paid informants, though those sources once “risked their lives” to infiltrate extremist networks.

In a separate statement to The Advocate, Fair said the organization is aware of a Justice Department press conference and what he described as a grand jury indictment targeting SPLC, though formal charges had not been served on the group.

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“Although we have not seen formal charges, we are aware of the press conference held today at the U.S. Department of Justice and the indictment evidently returned by a grand jury against our organization,” Fair said. “We are outraged by the false allegations levied against SPLC — an organization that for 55 years has stood as a beacon of hope fighting white supremacy and various forms of injustice to create a multi-racial democracy where we can all live and thrive.”

Fair defended the organization’s past work infiltrating extremist groups, calling it both dangerous and essential. “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,” he said. “To be clear, this program saved lives.”

The group’s research has been widely cited in national reporting, including in The Advocate, which has relied on SPLC data and analysis to document networks spreading anti-LGBTQ+ misinformation and to track how those narratives move from fringe ecosystems into policy debates. A 2023 SPLC study identified more than 60 organizations involved in circulating anti-LGBTQ+ pseudoscience, mapping what researchers described as a coordinated infrastructure shaping legislation and public opinion.

SPLC has long been a target of conservative lawmakers and commentators, particularly for its designation of certain right-wing groups as extremist. That tension escalated in 2025 when the FBI cut formal ties with the organization, with Director Kash Patel accusing it of political bias, the Associated Press reports.

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Civil rights groups quickly rallied to the SPLC’s defense. Kelley Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign, called the probe “a dangerous escalation” and warned it reflects an effort to intimidate organizations working to advance equality.

“The Southern Poverty Law Center has spent decades protecting Americans from fascism and white supremacy and ensuring we can all live our lives free from discrimination and hate,” Robinson said in a statement to The Advocate. “They are trying to intimidate SPLC and all civil rights organizations from speaking out and doing our work. If they can come for one of us, they can come for all of us.”

SPLC has cast the investigation as politically motivated. Fair said the group was “unsurprised to be the latest organization targeted by this administration,” pointing to prior actions by federal officials and congressional scrutiny.

For now, SPLC says it will continue its work and will “not be intimidated into silence or contrition,” as it prepares for a legal fight.