Federal prosecutors in the US have arrested Heidi Beirich, a prominent expert on far-right extremism, charging her with financial crimes. The arrest on Wednesday is connected to the government's ongoing case against the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC).
Ms Beirich, who previously served as the SPLC's chief financial officer, faces charges including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to submit false statements to a federally insured bank, and conspiracy to commit concealment money laundering.
The justice department previously charged the SPLC in April, alleging financial crimes related to a now-ended program where the organisation paid informants to infiltrate white supremacist groups. Prosecutors claim the SPLC laundered money through bank accounts for fictitious entities to protect informant identities and deceived donors into believing they were combating extremism.
An indictment alleges Ms Beirich was in a romantic relationship with an informant and that $140,000 of donor money was deposited into a joint bank account they held. Ms Beirich's lawyer, Michael Proctor, stated that a free society does not use the justice system to silence political opponents.
Last week, a federal judge in Alabama permitted the SPLC case to proceed, rejecting the organisation's argument that it constituted a vindictive prosecution.