WASHINGTON D.C (VINnews)-A former Southern Poverty Law Center official has been arrested in California on federal charges that she oversaw secret payments of donor funds to informants inside white supremacist groups, according to prosecutors and court documents.

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Heidi Beirich, who previously directed the SPLC’s Intelligence Project that tracked hate groups, faces charges including wire fraud conspiracy, conspiracy to submit false statements to a federally insured bank and conspiracy to conceal money laundering as part of a superseding indictment, the Justice Department said.

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Prosecutors allege Beirich directed substantial sums of donor money through shell companies and fictitious entities to informants. They further claim she shared a romantic relationship and bank accounts with one informant who infiltrated a white supremacist group; approximately $140,000 of SPLC payments allegedly flowed into joint accounts held by the pair.

The arrest is part of a broader Justice Department case against the SPLC. Federal prosecutors have charged the organization with wire fraud, bank fraud and money laundering conspiracy, alleging it funneled millions in donor funds to individuals linked to extremist groups while publicly denouncing those same groups.

Beirich left the SPLC years earlier. Her attorney, Michael J. Proctor, denied the allegations, calling the charges without merit and politically motivated. He said Beirich is innocent and welcomes the opportunity to present her case in court.

The SPLC has maintained that its long-standing informant program was lawful and used to gather intelligence on hate groups, arguing the government is mischaracterizing the work.