Southern Poverty Law Center indicted on federal fraud charges by Alabama grand jury

Justice department’s inquiry focused on the civil rights organization’s prior use of paid informants to monitor hate groups, the CEO saidSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxThe Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), a prominent civil rights organization, has been indicted on federal fraud charges related to past payments it made to confidential informants to infiltrate extremist groups including the Ku Klux Klan, the justice department announced on Tuesday.Speaking to reporters in Washington, Todd Blanche, the acting attorney general, said an Alabama grand jury returned an 11-count indictment against the civil rights group in the case brought by the justice department in Alabama, where the organization is based. The charges include wire fraud, bank fra