Southern Poverty Law Center says it’s facing Justice Department probe
The Department of Justice logo is displayed on May 6, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — The Southern Poverty Law Center is facing an investigation and potential criminal charges by the Justice Department, apparently stemming from its past use of paid informants, the organization’s interim CEO said in a statement Tuesday.
A Justice Department spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment from ABC News.
“For 55 years, the Southern Poverty Law Center has stood as a beacon of hope fighting white supremacy and various forms of injustice to create a multi-racial democracy where we can all live and thrive,” SPLC interim CEO Bryan Fair said in the statement.
“We are therefore unsurprised to be the latest organization targeted by this administration. They have made no secret of who they want to protect and who they want to destroy,” the statement said.
Fair did not elaborate in the statement on how the SPLC was alerted to the DOJ inquiry, though he said, “the focus appears to be on the SPLC’s prior use of paid confidential informants to gather credible intelligence on extremely violent groups.”
Fair, in the statement, outlined the organization’s history in explaining why the SPLC for years used informants to infiltrate far-right and domestic extremist groups, and denied any criminal wrongdoing on the part of the SPLC.
He also sought to frame the criminal inquiry as a continuation of the Trump Justice Department’s efforts to crack down on groups opposed to the administration’s policies.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
President of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro speaks during a march on November 21, 2025 in Caracas, Venezuela. (Jesus Vargas/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — Attorneys for the U.S. Army special forces soldier who was charged with using classified information about the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to make more than $400,000 on the prediction market Polymarket are returning to a Manhattan courtroom Monday.
Master Sgt. Gannon Ken Van Dyke pleaded not guilty in April after prosecutors alleged he used inside information to place 13 bets on the outcome of the Maduro raid then attempted to destroy evidence of the trades after he pocketed more than $400,000.
U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett scheduled the status conference to follow up on pre-trial issues, including the turning over of evidence that began last month.
During Van Dyke’s arraignment in April, his defense attorney said he expected few factual disputes over the allegations in the case and believed that the prosecution would “largely rise and fall” on pre-trial motions.
Van Dyke, an experienced special forces soldier, was released on a $250,000 personal recognizance bond. According to his attorney Zach Intrater, he is currently on leave from the Army.
As allegations of insider trading prompt public scrutiny of sites like Polymarket and Kalshi, the Van Dyke prosecution is believed to be the first case of insider trading on a prediction market.
Prosecutors in New York last month also charged a Google employee with using confidential company information to make more than $1.2 million on Polymarket.
Nighttime shot of unfurled police tape next to flashing lights from a police car. (halbergman/Getty Images)
(MUSCATINE, Iowa) — Six people were killed in a shooting spree at multiple locations across an Iowa city in an apparent domestic dispute, according to police.
The suspected gunman died from a self‑inflicted gunshot wound as officers confronted him, police said.
The “series of homicides” occurred Monday at two residences and a business in Muscatine, police said.
“Today I simply do not have the words — this act of evil and what it has done to our community,” Muscatine Police Chief Anthony Kies said at a press briefing Monday.
Four of the victims were killed in one home, according to police. The shooting was reported around 12:12 p.m. local time Monday, according to the Muscatine Police Department. First responders found all four individuals dead at the scene.
The suspect — identified by police as Ryan Willis McFarland, 52, of Muscatine — left the home prior to police arriving, authorities said. Officers located him nearby on a trail along the Mississippi River.
“While talking to Ryan Willis McFarland, he took his own life,” Kies said. “Officers and EMS personnel rendered aid. However, he was pronounced deceased at the scene.”
Amid the investigation, detectives learned there were possibly additional victims and subsequently located two men dead from apparent gunshot wounds, authorities said. One was found at another home and the other at a nearby business, authorities said.
“Preliminary findings indicate the shootings stemmed from a domestic‑related dispute,” the Muscatine Police Department said in a press release. “All victims are believed to be family members of the deceased suspect.”
Police have not released the names or ages of the victims.
According to Muscatine Community Schools, the victims included two school district employees and two students.
“Our hearts are broken for the family members, friends, colleagues, classmates, and all those affected by this unimaginable loss,” Muscatine Community Schools Superintendent Clint Christopher said in a message to the school community on Monday. “We ask that you keep everyone impacted in your thoughts during this incredibly difficult time.”
The police chief said the suspect has a criminal record, though he did not elaborate. There is no active threat to the community, Kies said.
Luigi Mangione attends a pretrial appearance at Manhattan Criminal Court on Aug. 11, 2026, in New York City. (David Dee Delgado-Pool/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — Luigi Mangione admitted to shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson as he pleaded guilty Friday to two federal stalking counts.
Mangione, wearing tan prison clothes, addressed the court himself, saying, “After years of enduring severe pain from a broken back … I learned UnitedHealth would be holding an investor conference in New York City.”
“I then researched the event online. I observed the annual conference of America’s largest healthcare organization with the stated mission to make the healthcare system better for everyone,” he said.
“I traveled to New York and emailed UnitedHealthcare with the intent to kill Brian Thompson … I shot Mr. Thompson in the back,” he said, adding, “I knew what I was doing was illegal.”
Earlier in the hearing, defense attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo told the court, “Mr. Mangione is prepared to plead guilty to the indictment at this time,” and Mangione himself then affirmed he was prepared to plead guilty.
Members of Thompson’s family, including his wife and mother, are sitting in the front row of the courtroom, marking the first time they’re appearing in court. Thompson’s wife appeared to be crying as the hearing began. Executives from UnitedHealthcare are also in attendance.
When asked for his full name, Mangione replied, “Luigi Nicolas Mangione,” and he affirmed his age, 28, and schooling at the University of Pennsylvania.
He told the judge he took a sleep medication two days ago but said it did not cloud his judgment.
The judge asked Mangione if he understood that he’d give up his right to a trial if he pleaded guilty, and Mangione responded yes.
Federal prosecutor Dominic Gentile explained that Mangione stalked Thompson with the intent to kill him and his conduct resulted in Thompson’s death.
U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett told Mangione a guilty plea would expose him to a possible life sentence.
“Do you understand that?” the judge asked, and Mangione replied, “yes.”
The judge confirmed there is no plea deal.
A guilty plea could complicate Mangione’s murder prosecution in state court, where trial is scheduled to begin Sept. 8. His federal trial was set for Jan. 5.
Defense attorneys have already tried to dismiss the murder charges on double jeopardy grounds. The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office is prepared to move forward, arguing stalking and murder address different harms.
About three dozen members of the public — including at least one person who camped out in a tent overnight — lined up outside the courthouse Friday morning to try to secure a seat in the courtroom.
Mangione’s supporters are often outspoken during his hearings, but there were little-to-no demonstrators on Friday morning. And with the federal court limiting what members of the public can wear, Mangione’s supporters were not donning their normal shirts proclaiming his innocence.
Mangione is accused of gunning down Thompson on Dec. 4, 2024, in Midtown Manhattan, and he was captured in Pennsylvania after a five-day manhunt. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced that Mangione was indicted on first-degree murder charges on Dec. 17, 2024, and federal prosecutors announced separate charges of stalking and murder on Dec. 19, 2024.
Mangione pleaded not guilty in the separate state and federal cases.
The charges in both cases have narrowed over the last year. In the federal case, Garnett in January threw out the murder and firearm charges, leaving two counts: stalking – travel in interstate commerce and stalking – use of interstate facilities.
In the state case, Judge Gregory Carro last September dismissed the first-degree murder and terrorism charges. In the state case, Mangione is still charged with murder in the second-degree, criminal possession of a forged instrument in the second-degree, and multiple counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second-degree, third-degree and fourth-degree.
