Day 464

Grand jury returns indictment against SPLC

A federal grand jury returns an 11-count indictment against the Southern Poverty Law Center on wire fraud, false statements to a federally insured bank, and conspiracy to commit money laundering, based on the SPLC's use of paid informants to infiltrate white supremacist organizations without disclosing the practice in donor communications.

From: DOJ Indicts Southern Poverty Law Center for Hate-Group Monitoring Operations (May 2026)

DOJ Indicts James Comey Over Instagram Photo in 'Vengeance Tour' Prosecution (April 2026)

On April 28, 2026, Trump's Justice Department obtained a federal grand jury indictment against former FBI Director James Comey for sharing an Instagram photo depicting seashells arranged to spell '86 47.' Prosecutors argued the phrase constituted a coded death threat against President Trump (the 47th president). Comey said he had no knowledge the phrase had violent connotations and found the beach photo aesthetically appealing. Legal experts across the political spectrum described the prosecution as an unprecedented weaponization of federal law to punish a political enemy, noting that '86 47' is common political shorthand for removing Trump from office — not a credible threat under any established legal standard.

Trump administration indicts returned deportee Abrego Garcia on old traffic stop

Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia — wrongly deported to CECOT despite a court order protecting him, then returned to the US after a Supreme Court ruling — is indicted by the Trump Justice Department on human smuggling charges based on a 2022 Tennessee traffic stop. Legal observers and The Intercept describe the charges as retaliatory — an attempt to criminalize and discredit a man whose case exposed the administration's defiance of court orders. Contempt proceedings against administration officials remain pending before Judge Paula Xinis.

From: Secret $6 Million Contract to Outsource Detention to El Salvador's CECOT