A former finance officer for the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has been arrested on charges of allegedly orchestrating secret payments totaling $1.2 million to informants within white supremacist groups. Heidi Beirich was taken into custody in California on Wednesday, according to multiple reports.
Attorney General Todd Blanche confirmed that an arrest had been made in the case. The indictment, originating from the Northern District of Alabama, accuses Beirich of helping to funnel SPLC donor funds to an informant in the white supremacist group National Alliance. This informant was also reportedly her lover.
Beirich, who left the SPLC in 2019 during a period of significant internal changes, later founded her own organization focused on tracking hate groups. Her involvement in the alleged scheme was reportedly revealed through identifying details within the indictment.
The indictment further claims that Beirich helped to establish bank accounts using the names of fictitious companies to facilitate these payments to leaders of hate groups. The Southern Poverty Law Center, headquartered in West Virginia, has a history of monitoring and countering extremist organizations in the United States.
Further details regarding the timeline of the alleged payments and the specifics of the informant's activities are expected to emerge as the legal proceedings develop.