Southern Poverty Law Center under (SPLC) indictment by US Department of Justice (DOJ). The indictment came after a grand jury convened, comprised of an independent group of citizens, who determined there was probable cause to pursue the charges.
In an announcement yesterday, the DOJ said SPLC was charged with wire fraud, false statements, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. The allegations allege that SPLC funds extremist groups such as the Ku Klux Klan, Aryan Nation, and the National Socialist Party of America. SPLC apparently provided more than $3 million in grant funds to individuals affiliated with various violent extremist groups between 2014 and 2023.
One of the high-profile events sponsored by the SPLC was the “Unite the Right” rally, which became a controversial issue in the last presidential election.
The nonprofit, headquartered in Alabama, raises more than $100 million annually and to be catalyst for racial justice.
After the announcement, social media attracted attention. PayPal (NASDAQ: PYPL) apparently used the SPLC to deny services to individuals or groups unwelcome to the SPLC.
Karol Markowicz, a columnist for New York Postreminded viewers of a previous post declaring the SPLC a “total scam” and criticizing PayPal for taking advice from the group.
“… The fact that PayPal receives recommendations from these 2 groups is reason enough to abandon the service, even if you don’t think you’ll be targeted.”
The post links to an article in the Free Press that asks the question: “What happened to PayPal?”
PayPal, among others, scolded for actions described as “debanking” – a nefarious policy of determining who can use their services based on political or business affiliations.
Just a reminder from 2022 that the SPLC (and ADL 🙄) was working with PayPal to decide which “extremist” groups to remove from PayPal’s service… all while actually funding extremist groups. https://t.co/OyxFZKK6g1
— Karol Markowicz (@karol) April 22, 2026
Other firms have received criticism for donating to the SPLC without reviewing the organization’s operations; which was apparently not in line with the organization’s mission.
