Palm Springs Woman Charged in Multi-Million Dollar Fraud Case Tied to Southern Poverty Law Center

A Palm Springs woman made her first court appearance in Riverside on Wednesday, facing federal charges tied to a multi-million dollar fraud case out of the Department of Justice.

59-year-old Heidi Beirich, a former Southern Poverty Law Center official, is charged with wire fraud conspiracy, conspiracy to submit false statements to a federally insured bank, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Prosecutors say more than $4 million in donated funds went to people who infiltrated extremist groups at the law center's direction, including former Klan members and white nationalists, between 2007 and 2023. Investigators say some of that money was instead used for recruiting new members and buying Klan robes and materials for cross-burning ceremonies, according to the Associated Press.

Beirich led the SPLC's Intelligence Project but left the organization about six years ago. She has no criminal record.

A judge released her on her own recognizance, ordering her to surrender her passport and appear in an Alabama courtroom within two weeks.

NBC Palm Springs has reached out to Beirich for comment and is awaiting a response.