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Southern Poverty Law Center moves to dismiss DOJ fraud indictment as vindictive prosecution

On May 26, 2026, the Southern Poverty Law Center filed a motion in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama asking a federal judge to dismiss as vindictive prosecution the 11-count indictment the Justice Department obtained against it in April 2026 on wire-fraud, false-statement, and money-laundering charges. The motion documents a sustained pattern of public hostility from President Trump and senior officials toward the civil-rights group — including Trump branding it "one of the greatest political scams in American History" — and notes the FBI and IRS reviewed the same conduct in 2019-2020 without seeking charges, only for the case to be reopened after SPLC became a frequent target of the administration. The court has not yet ruled on the motion.

Jurisdiction
Federal
Location
Montgomery, Alabama

Abuses documented

Actors

On May 26, 2026, the Southern Poverty Law Center filed a 47-page motion in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama asking the court to dismiss, as a vindictive prosecution, the 11-count federal indictment the Justice Department secured against it in April 2026. The indictment charges the civil-rights nonprofit with wire fraud, false statements to a federally insured bank, and conspiracy to commit concealment money laundering, alleging that SPLC deceived donors about funds routed to confidential informants who infiltrated extremist organizations, and misled banks about the accounts used to make those payments. SPLC denies wrongdoing and says its sources provided information to the FBI that "saved lives."

The motion's core claim is that the prosecution was driven by political animus rather than the evidence. SPLC's filing assembles a record of public statements by President Trump and senior administration officials attacking the organization — among them Trump's characterization of the center as "one of the greatest political scams in American History" — and stresses that the FBI and IRS examined the same conduct in 2019-2020 and declined to bring charges. The case was reopened only after SPLC became a recurring target of the administration's public criticism, a sequence the motion frames as retaliation for the group's research on extremist movements and on individuals connected to government officials. The filing also alleges that during a pre-indictment meeting requested by defense counsel, Justice Department officials disclosed that the decision to charge had already been made, and that prosecutors sought no documents from SPLC before deciding to seek an indictment.

The event archived here is the conduct on the government's side: the reopening of a closed declination and the pursuit of an 11-count indictment against an organization the President had repeatedly and by name attacked. SPLC's motion situates its case alongside other Trump-era prosecutions that critics have characterized as political, including the indictment of former FBI Director James Comey. A vindictive-prosecution dismissal is rarely granted under federal criminal procedure, and the court has not yet ruled on the motion; its filing is the documented step that places the underlying charging decision on the record as alleged retribution. As of this entry, the underlying charges remain pending.

Why we recorded this

Equal justice under law means the government brings criminal charges based on the law and the evidence, not on whether someone has criticized those in power. We record this because the Southern Poverty Law Center asked a federal court to dismiss an 11-count Justice Department indictment as vindictive prosecution, noting that the FBI and IRS had reviewed the same conduct in 2019–2020 without charges, only for the case to be revived after the group became a frequent target of the president and senior officials. When prosecutors appear to revive cases against an administration's critics, it raises the danger that the power to charge is being aimed at political opponents rather than applied evenhandedly.

Sources

  1. Southern Poverty Law Center seeks dismissal of criminal charges, saying prosecution is vindictive — CBS News primary accessed May 28, 2026
  2. Federal Grand Jury Charges Southern Poverty Law Center for Wire Fraud, False Statements, and Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering — U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs primary accessed May 28, 2026
  3. Southern Poverty Law Center seeks dismissal of 'vindictive' Justice Department indictment — PBS NewsHour / Associated Press secondary accessed May 28, 2026
  4. Southern Poverty Law Center argues DOJ case is vindictive prosecution, asks judge to toss indictment — The Washington Times secondary accessed May 28, 2026
  5. False claims and a Comey comparison: Southern Poverty Law Center goes on offense — MSNBC secondary accessed May 28, 2026

See also