politics

No tax charges filed in Southern Poverty Law Center probe, after IRS lawyers determined informant program legally structured, sources say

Updated on: May 29, 2026 / 2:58 PM EDT / CBS News

No tax charges filed in Southern Poverty Law Center probe, after IRS lawyers determined informant program legally structured, sources say

TL;DR

  • Federal agents investigated the Southern Poverty Law Center's (SPLC) paid informant program for possible tax crimes.
  • IRS lawyers determined the program was legally structured and advised against seeking tax charges.
  • A Treasury Department rule exempts 501(c)(3) nonprofits from filing tax returns for payments to informants on criminal activity.
  • The tax investigation was an expansion of an FBI probe into potential embezzlement by a former SPLC chief financial officer.
  • The Justice Department later obtained a wire and bank fraud indictment against the SPLC, but it did not include tax-related charges.
  • The SPLC denies wrongdoing and has pleaded not guilty to the fraud charges.