U.S. Flips Informant From Civil Rights Group

By the Editorial Team · Friday, October 30, 2026

Federal prosecutors have recruited a long-time Southern Poverty Law Center informant, known as F-9, to aid in their investigation accusing the SPLC of defrauding donors by funneling money to informants within extremist groups. This cooperation marks a major shift as F-9, previously instrumental in SPLC’s intelligence gathering, now provides detailed information to the government amid allegations of misused funds and criminal activity within the organization.

Federal prosecutors have enlisted a longtime informant of the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) in their ongoing investigation into the civil rights organization, according to court filings made public this week. The informant, identified only as F-9, has shifted from aiding the SPLC’s efforts to infiltrate white supremacist groups to assisting the government in building a criminal case against the center.

The Justice Department charged the SPLC in April with defrauding donors by allegedly funneling money to informants embedded within extremist groups to support rather than undermine them. Court documents filed Wednesday by the center’s defense lawyers reveal that prosecutors leveraged F-9’s financial difficulties and potential criminal exposure to secure his cooperation.

F-9, who began working with the SPLC in 1996, played a significant role in the group’s informant program, internally known as the F Program, which gathered intelligence on neo-Nazi and white supremacist organizations. His work included infiltrating the National Alliance, a former leading neo-Nazi group, and reportedly helped authorities dismantle a bomb-making operation on its property. Over a 16-year period, prosecutors say the center paid F-9 at least $1.2 million for his services.

According to court filings, F-9 started providing information to investigators as early as March 2022 during an initial tax inquiry into the SPLC that did not result in charges. The scope of that probe was later expanded to focus on the center’s informant program—an inquiry reportedly revived partly at F-9’s suggestion. Since being granted immunity, he has met with prosecutors more than 20 times since last November, exchanged approximately 1,800 text messages with agents from the FBI and IRS, and delivered multiple intelligence briefings, including one accompanied by a presentation bearing official FBI and IRS seals.

The SPLC’s lawyers contend that F-9’s cooperation is motivated by self-interest. They argue he “faced possible criminal exposure” and blamed the center for his financial troubles, leading him to portray an incomplete and one-sided narrative to the government to secure immunity. They further claim that he has acted less as a witness and more as a de facto member of the prosecution team, allegedly influencing decisions about what charges to pursue and selectively providing information.

The informant’s relationship with the SPLC reportedly soured in late 2021 amid a separate IRS investigation into whether informants in the F Program had underreported income. The center terminated the program, cutting off payments to F-9. At the same time, his relationship with Heidi Beirich, a longtime SPLC staff member who directed the informant program, ended. Beirich was added as a defendant to the case over the summer and is charged with fraud and conspiracy. Prosecutors allege Beirich, who was romantically involved with F-9 and shared bank accounts with him, allowed approximately $140,000 of his payments to pass through jointly held accounts between 2015 and 2021.

The case also touches on the SPLC’s controversial Hate Map, which tracks extremist groups and drew criticism from the Trump administration for including more mainstream right-wing organizations, some associated with the MAGA movement. In October 2025, FBI Director Kash Patel announced the bureau’s decision to sever ties with the SPLC, accusing it of abandoning civil rights work in favor of partisan attacks.

Defense attorneys have said the investigation escalated following a coalition of targeted groups’ complaint to Stephen Miller, a senior Trump aide, alleging the SPLC had overstepped its mandate by broadening its focus to include more mainstream conservative organizations.

F-9 has reportedly requested financial compensation from law enforcement for his continued cooperation, citing his dire financial situation. “I need to be paid,” he stated in February to an official, emphasizing he could not continue assisting without remuneration.

The Justice Department declined to comment on the matter. The case remains pending in federal court in Montgomery, Alabama.

This article was reported by synthesizing coverage from multiple independent news outlets to present a balanced, unbiased account. Read about our editorial standards. Spotted an error? Let us know.