White Robes and Broken Badges: Infiltrating the KKK and Exposing the Evil Among Us

In this shocking memoir, a former FBI informant reveals what he learned from successfully infiltrating the Ku Klux Klan in the backwoods of the Sunshine State, uncovering details about the hate group’s structure and its modern far-right spinoffs which are operating to achieve the same goal: inciting a second civil war by whatever violent means necessary.

“We need you back.”

It was a call FBI informant and former Army sniper Joe Moore never expected to get. He’d already infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan once before, and his contributions prevented an assassination attempt targeting then-presidential candidate Barack Obama. Moore nearly lost his life in the process. But now, the FBI needed Moore’s help once again.

In White Robes and Broken Badges, Moore reveals the astounding true story of how he became one of the most entrenched and valuable undercover agents in the FBI’s history. Gripping, told with astonishing detail, this heart pounding and darkly propulsive memoir vividly recounts how he infiltrated the “Invisible Empire” at the highest levels—not once, but twice—becoming a Grand Knighthawk, overseeing security, defense, and internal communications for the domestic terrorist group across Florida and Georgia. Moore makes clear how the seeds of violence and hate spawned the tragedy in Charlottesville, the failed January 6 Capitol coup, and the growing threat posed by extremist militias—including the Oath Keepers, Proud Boys, Three Percenters, and others.

Going undercover, Moore discovered the shocking connections between the KKK and law enforcement across Florida—police officers, prison guards, and sheriff’s deputies who all belonged to the Klan—and eventually exposed the terrifying presence of right-wing extremists throughout law enforcement today. Moore reflects on the steep personal costs of immersing himself in the Klan’s racist ideology and twisted rituals—and its effect on himself and his family—while secretly providing the FBI with invaluable information on the Klan’s inner workings, murderous plots, and plans for civil war.

With a foreword by Congressman Jamie Raskin and illustrated with 8-pages of color photos, White Robes and Broken Badges is a comprehensive and unprecedented look at a growing threat in America and an urgent call-to-action—because ultimately, the answers to healing the divides in this country lie in its perilous history.

Born in Jacksonville, Florida, Joe Moore enlisted as a private in the Army, completing basic training in 1995 before being selected for sniper school in 1997. In large part due to his military service, Joe was first recruited by the FBI and Joint Terrorism Task Force to infiltrate the Ku Klux Klan in 2007. His first stint as a confidential human source lasted three years and was followed by a second infiltration into a second KKK klavern beginning in 2013, lasting two years and resulting in numerous successful prosecutions of noted Klan officials in 2017. He lives today with his wife and four children in an undisclosed location.

Jon Land is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than 60 books, including the critically acclaimed, award winning Texas Ranger Caitlin Strong series. He has also teamed up with Heather Graham for a science fiction series that began with The Rising and continues with Blood Moon. His next thriller, Leave No Trace, written under the pseudonym A. J. Landau, will be published by Minotaur in January of 2024. Jon has penned eleven nonfiction works as well, including the Boston Globe and national bestseller Betrayal: Whitey Bulger and the FBI Agent who Fought to Bring Him Down. He lives in Providence, Rhode Island.