Bird Marella Partner and former federal prosecutor William Johnston provided legal analysis and insights to CBS News and Bloomberg Law’s coverage of the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) recent 11-count indictment of the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). The indictment alleges that SPLC, a well-known civil rights nonprofit, lied to donors about funding confidential informants’ involvement with hate groups, like the Ku Klux Klan and other white supremacist organizations, as well as making false statements to federally-insured banks that were used to make those payments. SPLC was charged with making false statements, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and wire fraud.
Both articles discuss the legal validity of the indictment, with several legal experts weighing in on the potential issues the DOJ will face in court when trying to prosecute SPLC.
When speaking with CBS News, Mr. Johnston shared, “When I looked at this indictment, I was very surprised that anyone would have ever charged a case like this. There have to be material misstatements or half-truths. And here, they really haven’t alleged anything explicit that the use of the money contradicted.”
Read the CBS News article here.
View the Bloomberg Law article here.
