Leaders of the Southern Poverty Law Center allegedly used a major bank to finance a payment scheme designed to promote hatred

Federal authorities are investigating an alleged scheme through which former senior officials at the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) allegedly funneled $4.1 million to individuals linked to far-left extremist organizations, including Erich Gliebe, known as The Aryan Barbarian, according to information available in the case.

According to a report published by Fox News Digital, two former senior officials at the SPLC, former chief financial officer Teenie Hutchison and former head of the Intelligence Project Heidi Beirich, allegedly created a network of bank accounts in 2008 that, according to federal sources cited by that outlet, served to channel those funds through a hidden financial structure.

The report states that the accounts were opened at Synovus Bank and that the financial structure allegedly allowed for confidential payments to undercover sources within extremist organizations. According to the outlet, federal authorities believe the investigation is broader than initially reported and that it may have implicated senior officials within the organization.

The case is part of a federal proceeding in which the SPLC is charged with bank fraud, wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. According to published reports, prosecutors argue that the alleged operation followed the three traditional phases of money laundering: placement, layering, and integration.

Fox News Digital also reports that an indictment made public in April described the creation of a secret network of nine bank accounts used to funnel millions of dollars between 2014 and 2023. Subsequently, an amended indictment increased the amount allegedly transferred from $3 million to $4.1 million.

Among the alleged beneficiaries is Erich Gliebe, former president of the neo-Nazi organization National Alliance, who, according to the investigation, is said to have received more than $140,000 between 2016 and 2023 while simultaneously appearing in the profiles on extremism published by the SPLC itself.

The report also notes that, according to court documents, SPLC officials acknowledged in writing to Synovus Bank in September 2021 that the fictitious accounts had been opened and operated for the benefit of the organization.