TALLAHASSEE — Attorney General James Uthmeier launched a civil investigation into the Southern Poverty Law Center and issued an investigative subpoena demanding the organization turn over documents related to its charitable solicitations and fundraising practices by May 25.

The probe targets what Uthmeier called deceptive and unfair practices in how the SPLC solicits donations from Florida residents — specifically, allegations that the organization uses donated funds to pay informants embedded in the same groups it publicly labels as extremist.

“The SPLC raises millions in charitable donations every year, while allegedly paying members and leaders within the very groups it purports to fight,” said Attorney General James Uthmeier.

“SPLC appears to be running a deceptive organization that pays informants to manufacture racism on its behalf. If these allegations are true, there will be consequences,” Uthmeier said.

The 17-category subpoena is sweeping in scope. It demands records of all annual donations the SPLC received from Florida donors, annual disbursements to informants, and the percentage of the organization’s budget allocated to informant-related costs. It also seeks internal communications about whether the SPLC disclosed its use of informants to donors, along with exemplar marketing materials used to solicit contributions.

Several demands target the SPLC’s public-facing tools — its “Extremist Files” database, its “hate map” and its relationships with financial institutions and technology companies. The subpoena commands production of all documents containing representations the SPLC made to banks, credit card processors and financial infrastructure companies regarding those programs, as well as records related to the Change the Terms coalition, the SPLC’s Intelligence Project and the No Blood Money Campaign.

The subpoena also requires the SPLC to produce documents related to its 501(c)(3) status and all Florida addresses where the organization operated or received correspondence. The SPLC raises millions in charitable donations annually, according to the attorney general’s office.

The SPLC has until May 25 to comply with the subpoena and produce all requested documents and evidence to Uthmeier’s office in Tallahassee.