Former Southern Poverty Law Center chief financial officer Heidi Beirich pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to federal fraud and money laundering conspiracy charges tied to the nonprofit group’s use of paid informants inside extremist groups.

Beirich, who also served as director of the SPLC’s Intelligence Project, waived her court appearance in the Middle District of Alabama. Her lawyer, Michael Proctor, entered the plea on her behalf. The plea made Beirich the first individual defendant in the Justice Department’s criminal case against the Southern Poverty Law Center.