Who Are The Prosecutors Going After SPLC?

Federal attorneys prosecuting the left-wing Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) for allegedly funding far-right hate groups through wire fraud may not have handled a case like this before, but their past work could prove surprisingly useful.

The April 21 indictment, issued by the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama Northern Division, is signed by Acting United States Attorney Kevin P. Davidson and Assistant U.S. Attorney Russell T. Duraski.

Davidson became acting U.S. attorney in August 2024 after serving as first assistant, and as the office’s criminal chief, where he supervised investigations and prosecutions across the district, a Department of Justice (DOJ) spokesperson told the Daily Caller.

An Alabama native, Davidson has served as an assistant U.S. attorney since 2012, with much of his work focused on violent and drug crimes. He previously spent eight years as a deputy district attorney in Montgomery County after earning his law degree from the University of Alabama School of Law, the spokesperson said.

He also served as lead attorney for the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF).

Acting U.S. Attorney Kevin Davidson spoke today at a press conference highlighting Operation Southern Star, an FBI-led initiative that surged critical resources into Montgomery to address violent crime. He noted that the U.S. Attorney’s Office was honored to take part in this… pic.twitter.com/xeooJ6ZmB5

— U.S. Attorney MDAL (@USAO_MDAL) March 30, 2026

While organized crime and drug trafficking may seem unrelated to the SPLC, the Drug Enforcement Administration notes that OCDETF targets “financial networks of drug trafficking and money laundering organizations.” Though the headline allegation involves SPLC’s alleged funding of Ku Klux Klan leaders, neo-Nazis, and an Aryan motorcycle gang, the indictment itself centers on alleged financial misconduct.

The SPLC faces 11 counts of wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and providing false statements to a federally insured bank, according to a DOJ press statement.

“Donors gave their money believing they were supporting the fight against violent extremism,” said  Davidson. “As alleged, the SPLC instead diverted a portion of those funds to benefit individuals and groups they claimed to oppose. That kind of deception undermines public trust and social cohesion.”

During his tenure, Davidson has overseen takedowns of multiple drug trafficking groups, including in 2025, when the DEA credited him with securing sentencing for the final member of a 14-person conspiracy to traffic methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – AUGUST 12: White nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the “alt-right” clash with counter-protesters as they enter Emancipation Park during the “Unite the Right” rally August 12, 2017 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Duraski, a career prosecutor, gained national attention after working with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to secure a plea deal resulting in a 108-month prison sentence for a man who detonated a shrapnel-filled explosive outside the Alabama attorney general’s office in 2024, according to a DOJ statement.

“Working together, investigators and analysts were able to identify Calvert as a suspect and ensure he was held accountable for his attempt to intimidate public officials and create chaos,” Davidson said at the time.

The man allegedly placed stickers reading “Support your local Antifa” before detonating the device, though he later said he had no affiliation with Antifa — a decentralized movement of radical leftists who claim to fight fascism, at times violently.

While the SPLC is not charged with any violent crime, the case suggests Duraski has experience with left-wing extremism and its motivations.

In 2020, the SPLC called President Donald Trump’s designation of Antifa as a domestic terrorist organization “dangerous,” while acknowledging that “individuals loosely affiliated with antifa are typically involved in skirmishes and property crimes at demonstrations across the country.”

Alt-right activists, anti-fascist protestors, and people on all sides of the political spectrum gather for a campaign rally organized by right-wing organizer, Patriot Prayer founder and Republican Senate candidate Joey Gibson in Portland, Oregon, August 4, 2018. (Photo credit THOMAS PATTERSON/AFP via Getty Images)

Both prosecutors are deeply familiar with the Montgomery legal landscape, where the SPLC is headquartered — a factor that could aid the DOJ in navigating local banking records and grand jury procedures.

The case is being handled by Trump-appointed U.S. District Judge Emily C. Marks, according to The New York Times.

In February, Marks oversaw a class-action lawsuit involving the SPLC and sided with the group, approving a settlement related to Alabama’s psychiatric care for children.

The SPLC’s legal team includes defense attorney Abbe Lowell, working with Kropf Moseley Schmitt PLLC and Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP, according to Bloomberg Law.

Lowell has represented Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner, Hunter Biden, and former Democrat New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez. He launched his own firm in 2025 aimed at pushing back against the Trump administration, CBS News reported.

The SPLC’s defense is now taking shape. Tuesday, the law center demanded transcripts of the grand jury proceedings, arguing prosecutors may have used false statements to initiate the indictment. It also called on Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche to retract comments made on Fox News suggesting there is no evidence the SPLC shared informant tips about planned violent attacks with authorities.

The Southern Poverty Law Center did not respond to the Daily Caller’s request for comment.

AUTHOR

Derek VanBuskirk

Reporter

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