Former Southern Poverty Law Center worker charged with fraud

A federal grand jury indicted Heidi Beirich, a former employee of the Southern Poverty Law Center, or SPLC, on several charges related to fraud, the Justice Department said Wednesday. Beirich, 59, faces charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to submit false statements to a federally insured bank. She was also charged with conspiracy to commit concealment money laundering and added to the Justice Department’s ongoing case against the SPLC. She is considered legally innocent until proven guilty.

Beirich’s lawyer said she was innocent and that the case was politically motivated, according to the Associated Press.

The charges come from Beirich’s alleged participation in a scheme investigators said falsely represented the activist organization’s use of donated money. She is accused of helping the SPLC covertly funnel over $4 million to people associated with violent extremist groups. The SPLC and its supporters have insisted that the individuals were paid informants.

Beirich is also accused of involvement with financial accounts belonging to fake entities, in efforts to conceal the source and ownership of the money, according to the Justice Department.

Dig deeper: Read Christina Grube’s report on the fraud charges against the SPLC.