![Ross began collecting cases in which far-right actors and vigilantes appeared at demonstrations and similar events starting on May 27, 2020. [ 1 ] Using this data, he developed an interactive map of the United States describing events and metadata such as involved groups. By early September, Ross had accumulated over 500 such incidents. [ 2 ] By mid-October, he had accumulated over 800 incidents. Approximately 90% of the data is sourced from social media and news outlets. The remainder comes from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED), a non-partisan, international political violence tracking group. Ross categorizes over 400 of the events as beyond harassment or intimidation. Ross found that, though vigilante-style attacks and threats had fallen since summer, the proportion of gun violence and vehicular attacks increased. Though demonstrations and violence at demonstrations were both decreasing, the severity of attacks was increasing, Ross found. The project has been praised by the research director at ACLED, and Heidi Beirich. [ 1 ]](/assets/images/2026-08-13T10-55-30-880Z-heidi-beirich-former-extremism-expert-praised-by-biden-ally-faces-federal-fraud-wikimedia-1280.webp)
Heidi Beirich, formerly a director at the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Intelligence Project and recognized as a foremost expert on extremism in the United States, is facing federal charges including wire fraud conspiracy, conspiracy to submit false statements to a federally insured bank, and conspiracy to conceal money laundering.
In 2018, the Center for American Progress (CAP), a left-leaning think tank, hosted and praised Beirich for her work on extremism. Neera Tanden, CAP’s CEO and a longtime Democratic operative who has worked with multiple Democratic presidents including Joe Biden, described Beirich as one of the "terrific leaders who are dedicating themselves to fighting the spread of extremism and speech online."
Other CAP figures, such as Henry Fernandez, then a senior fellow, also commended Beirich’s detailed work with hate groups. Beirich led the SPLC’s Intelligence Project, known for publishing an award-winning intelligence report identifying hate groups across the country.
However, prosecutors allege that Beirich oversaw payments to a source identified as "F-9," who infiltrated the neo-Nazi National Alliance and received over $1.2 million from the SPLC during the indictment period. It is further alleged that Beirich had a romantic relationship with F-9, sharing a home and two bank accounts.
This development casts a new light on the previous accolades Beirich received from CAP and others in the field.
Sources
- Fox News Latest (Published August 13, 2026)
Notable Quotes
- "Terrific leaders who are dedicating themselves to fighting the spread of extremism and speech online." — Neera Tanden, CAP CEO
- "Even if you don’t know who Heidi Beirich is, you actually do because she leads the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Intelligence Project, which publishes the award-winning intelligence report." — Henry Fernandez, former CAP senior fellow
- "She is really probably the nation’s foremost expert on various forms of extremism, including the white supremacist, nativist and neo-confederate movements as well as racism in academia."
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