Judge denies SPLC request to split trial, postpones hearing to February

U.S. District Judge Emily Marks denied the Southern Poverty Law Center’s attempt to split its fraud and conspiracy prosecution from that of its former chief financial officer, Heidi Beirich, keeping the cases together for a joint trial. The judge also granted Beirich’s request to postpone the start of the trial to Feb. 1, citing the need for sufficient preparation time. The SPLC was originally indicted in April on wire fraud, bank fraud and conspiracy charges, with superseding indictments added in June and August that now include Beirich.

Prosecutors allege the organization funneled money to Ku Klux Klan members, neo-Nazis and other extremist groups, and created bank accounts for fictitious entities to move funds. The SPLC maintains it was paying informants to combat extremism, while the Justice Department argues the payments bolstered the very groups the SPLC claims to oppose. Both defendants have entered not-guilty pleas, and the SPLC has lost eligibility for donor-advised fund contributions from several charities following the indictment.