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SPLC Indicted for Fraud After Supplying FBI Rally Dossier

4/29/2026

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Summary

Story summary

SPLC gave the FBI a 45-page dossier before the 2017 Unite the Right rally, naming participants and weapons.
SPLC says its tips led to the 2019 arrest of Atomwaffen member Conor Climo and the 2020 guilty plea of Vanguard America affiliate Fred Arena.
The Southern Poverty Law Center was indicted in Alabama on fraud-money-laundering charges and argues DOJ officials gave false statements that could prejudice the jury.

History

Historical Context

On April 19 1995, Timothy McVeigh bombed the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, killing 168 and injuring hundreds. The blast forced the FBI to add 500 agents, form a Domestic Terrorism Division, and, after a 1996 SPLC report counted 858 militias, expand surveillance of right-wing groups. Congress responded with the 1996 Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act, shaping today’s counter-extremism policies.

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Story summary

SPLC gave the FBI a 45-page dossier before the 2017 Unite the Right rally, naming participants and weapons.
SPLC says its tips led to the 2019 arrest of Atomwaffen member Conor Climo and the 2020 guilty plea of Vanguard America affiliate Fred Arena.
The Southern Poverty Law Center was indicted in Alabama on fraud-money-laundering charges and argues DOJ officials gave false statements that could prejudice the jury.

1 / 2