SPLC charged with federal fraud

A federal grand jury in Montgomery, Alabama, has returned an indictment against the Southern Poverty Law Center, a prominent anti-racism nonprofit.

Prosecutors claim the organization executed a decade-long scheme to defraud supporters by secretly funneling cash to leaders of the Ku Klux Klan and other hate groups.

Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche described the SPLC as a 'criminal organization' that has been duping its donors.

The SPLC has vowed to vigorously defend itself and its work against what it calls politically motivated charges.