Former federal prosecutors see legal flaws in DOJ's SPLC indictment

Politics Former federal prosecutors see legal flaws in DOJ's indictment of Southern Poverty Law Center By Sarah N. Lynch Sarah N. Lynch Senior Justice Department Reporter Sarah N. Lynch is the senior Justice Department reporter for CBS News, based in Washington, D.C. Read Full Bio Sarah N. Lynch April 23, 2026 / 4:24 PM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google The Justice Department's indictment against the Southern Poverty Law Center may contain serious legal defects that could lead to a full or partial dismissal because it struggles to articulate the elements of the alleged crimes, former federal prosecutors told CBS News.The 11-count indictment alleges that the civil rights nonprofit organization, best known for its work to oppose the Ku Klux Klan, lied to donors about paying confidential informants to infiltrate hate groups and deceived banks about the bank accounts used to make those payments.It charges the group with wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering and making false statements. The group denies all the charges and vows to defend itself in court."Not a valid indictment"Legal experts say it is not clear exactly how the SPLC's statements to donors represent material falsehoods or omissions, or why its past use of paid informants would run counter to its mission of dismantling white supremacist groups, a tactic that federal and local law enforcement also utilize to infiltrate and break up criminal organizations."I don't think any prosecutor with white-collar experience would look at this indictment and believe it makes out the elements of a crime," said Kyle Boynton, an attorney who previously worked both as a federal civil rights prosecutor and an FBI agent. "It's not a valid indictment."In a statement, a Justice Department spokesperson noted that the grand jury agreed to indict the group on 11 counts, just based on a portion of the evidence presented."These issues will all be litigated in court and the government remains confident in its case. It's...