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from the above link:

"It is very thin, (and) does not adequately allege in my judgment any violation of the mail or wire fraud statutes (which are the indictment's key allegations)," said John C. Coffee Jr., a professor at the Columbia University Law School, in a statement.

"SPLC was under no duty to disclose to the world that it was paying secret agents to advise it about the activities of violent organizations. That it paid agents to inform it does not imply that it was supporting these organizations, even if the agents (with mixed motives) gave some of the payments to the organization."

Robertson said that organizations, including the government, regularly use confidential informants because it is an important tool to collect information about groups that actively withhold information about their activities.

In the indictment, the DOJ alleged several instances of wire fraud. But Robertson said "it doesn't seem to me there was any criminal intent at all."

"When you are paying an informant who is deeply embedded in a group that is engaged in violent activity, whether it is terrorism or others, you don't want to risk their lives by making it clear they were receiving payments," she said.

Robertson said the indictment doesn't even go as far as to allege any criminal intent to defraud financial institutions. The allegations were that SPLC tried to hide its activity from its donors.

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"That seems really problematic to me," Robertson said. "I don't believe the donors were, in any way, misled."

In the end, Robertson said the government will likely have a difficult time proving its case.

"I would be surprised if this case made it very far in the process," she said. "I would be absolutely shocked if it went all the way to a conviction. I think it will get dismissed earlier in the process."

www.stjohns.edu

Except for lack of previous experience, she actually looks qualified for the position. At least she had an advance degree in her field unlike many in the administration.

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