Alabama AG Steve Marshall subpoenas Southern Poverty Law Center for documents in new state probe

# SPLC CAUGHT IN THE BLENDER: AG Steve Marshall Drops Massive Subpoena as "Hate-Fighting" Giant Faces Fraud Meltdown Alabama’s top legal dog, Steve Marshall, isn't just watching from the sidelines anymore—he’s jumping into the octagon. While the feds are already putting the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) on blast for allegedly paying off extremists, Attorney General Steve Marshall signaled Monday that Alabama is coming for its own pound of flesh. Marshall has officially launched a state-level offensive, hitting the Montgomery-based nonprofit with a subpoena that basically says: **“Show us the receipts.”** The SPLC has until June 1 to cough up a massive trove of internal documents. We’re talking donation records, payment logs, and the kind of paperwork that usually stays locked in a vault. ### The Feds Already Called "Foul" This move by Marshall is the latest blow in what’s becoming a disastrous season for the SPLC. Just last month, the Department of Justice went scorched earth, indicting the group on six counts of wire fraud, four counts of lying to banks, and a conspiracy charge for money laundering. According to reports from **205focus.com**, the DOJ isn’t playing around. The charges stem from a wild "pay-to-play" scheme where the SPLC allegedly cut checks to confidential informants deep inside the KKK, the Aryan Nation, and the National Socialist Party of America. The DOJ’s 14-page indictment is basically a "how-to" on fumbling donor trust. Prosecutors claim the SPLC was clout-chasing with donor cash, using money meant for "fighting extremism" to actually fund the very people they claim to hate. That’s a major L for an organization that built its brand on moral high grounds. ### Marshall Wants the "Rotten" Truth Now, Steve Marshall is checking the SPLC’s homework to see if they violated the Alabama Deceptive Trade Practices Act. He’s been beefing with the SPLC for years—clashing over everything from congressional redistricting to medical procedures for minors—and he’s not holding back the trash talk. “We have always suspected that they were monetizing hate and trading on race-baiting,” Marshall said in a press release that read like a post-game victory speech. “It was just a matter of proving it.” Marshall is looking to see if the SPLC was "rotten" from the inside out. His office is demanding to know: * How many Alabama donors got played? * How much total cash was funneled to informants? * Exactly how many payments went to people featured on the SPLC’s famous "Hate Map"? ### Defense in Survival Mode The SPLC’s legal team, led by heavy-hitter Abbe David Lowell, is trying to play defense. During an arraignment last week, they hinted that more federal heat could be coming this summer. Lowell is expected to file motions claiming the whole case is a setup, but the Montgomery-based prosecutors are keeping it 100: they say there’s "nothing vindictive" here. It’s just a classic case of fraud and deception. As the June 1 deadline looms, the SPLC is findind out that when you play high-stakes games with donor money, the "vibes" eventually run out—and the law takes over. Marshall and the state of Alabama are ready to see if this storied institution is finally going to hit the showers for good. Stay tuned to **205focus.com** as this legal brawl continues.