Director Patel Announces Federal Charges Against SPLC

Director Kash Patel joined Attorney General Todd Blanche at the U.S. Department of Justice on April 21, 2026, to announce a federal grand jury indictment against the Southern Poverty Law Center.

[Video Transcript]
We're here today is to announce what the [Attorney] General just told you. The Southern Poverty Law Center, in a massive, sweeping indictment, has been charged with allegations of fraud and using the banking system to perpetrate that fraud. I just want to talk about a couple of brief things here. The Southern Poverty Law Center themselves advertise to raise money to dismantle violent extremist groups for a period of at least a decade.

They used their donor network to raise money to purportedly dismantle violent extremist groups. However, the SPLC, the Southern Poverty Law Center, used the money they raised raised from their donor network to actually pay the leadership of these very groups. I just want to say that, again, they used the fraudulently raised money by lying to their donor network, thousands of Americans, to go ahead and actually pay the leadership of these supposedly violent extremist groups.

The groups, as the General laid out, include the Ku Klux Klan, the United Klans of America, Unite the Right, National Alliance, the National Socialist Movement, the Aryan Nation Motorcycle Club, and the National Socialist Party of America, and also the American Front. In at least one of these matters, our investigation revealed that funds were used to facilitate the commission of further state and federal offenses totaling over $3 million.

Furthermore, our investigation revealed that the Southern Poverty Law Center, on top of perpetuating this widespread, decade-long multi-million dollar fraud, conducted more criminal activity. They attempted to hide their criminal activity from our financial banking network. They set up shell companies and entities around America so that the financial institutions that we rely on as everyday Americans were deceived in believing that money was not coming from the Southern Poverty Law Center and the perpetration of this scheme and fraud, but rather fictitious entities they stood up to perpetuate this ongoing fraud. This is a serious and egregious violation of a group that purported to dismantle violent extremist groups, but in turn actually only fueled the hatred. This is an important case brought by the President, by President Trump's administration. We're thankful to the President for his leadership and funding of not just the FBI and DOJ, but his commitment to go out there and wipe out fraud and conspiracy and waste and abuse wherever it occurs, including the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Even though this money was made to appear to be coming from legitimate people and legitimate entities, we at the FBI, with our great partners at the Department of Justice and in the state of Alabama, were able to comb through a decade worth of material, a scheme that took a decade to build so that we were able to follow the money, because money never lies, and they got caught.

As the Attorney General said, these charges are varying, they are widespread and wide ranging, and this investigation is very much ongoing. Today, we're here to announce the charges of the Southern Poverty Law Center. And this investigation, and the individuals who are responsible will be brought to justice. Thank you General.