Former SPLC official arrested as feds expand case over alleged $4M scheme involving extremist groups

A former top Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) official was arrested on charges Wednesday as federal prosecutors unveiled sweeping new allegations that donated money was allegedly secretly funneled to extremists and used for activities including recruiting members, staging rallies and buying materials for Ku Klux Klan robes and cross burnings.

Heidi Beirich, 59, of Palm Springs, California, was charged alongside the SPLC with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to submit false statements to a federally insured bank.