Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced Monday a civil investigation into the Southern Poverty Law Center over alleged deceptive and unfair charitable fundraising practices, issuing a subpoena requiring the group to produce records by May 25, 2026.
Uthmeier said the SPLC “appears to be running a deceptive organization that pays informants to manufacture racism on its behalf,” warning consequences will follow if the allegations are confirmed.
The subpoena demands records including: disclosures to Florida donors about the use of informants, marketing and fundraising materials and their usage timelines, all names or aliases used in solicitations, and documentation of any changes to SPLC communications regarding donations, fund allocation, and informant use.
It also seeks: all websites used to solicit donations, annual donation totals from Florida donors, disbursements tied to informants, internal policies governing informant payments, and the share of SPLC’s budget allocated to such programs.
Additional requests include: records of payments or contributions to any individuals or groups listed in SPLC’s “Extremist Files” or “hate map,” internal communications on disclosure of informant use, donor communications related to fund usage, documents tied to maintaining nonprofit status, all Florida addresses used by the organization, and communications with financial institutions or tech companies regarding SPLC programs, designations, and initiatives.
