As members of the Board of Directors of New York Families Foundation (NYFF) and of New York Families Action (NYFA), we are writing to update you on recent legal proceedings involving our organizations’ executive director, Jason McGuire.
On April 3, 2025, the Office of the New York State Attorney General (OAG) issued a false and misleading press release regarding Jason that resulted in inaccurate reports from various media outlets. Contrary to the OAG’s misstatements, the Board believes that the recent legal proceedings involving Jason were improper and that Jason did not engage in any deliberate wrongdoing. Jason continues to enjoy the Board’s full support.
We believe it is appropriate to provide our friends with accurate information about Jason’s situation to counteract the falsehoods that were repeated in the media. That is the reason for this communication.
Over the past several years, the Office of the New York State Attorney General (OAG) has been investigating Jason, NYFF, and NYFA. The Board does not believe that this investigation was valid, or that the OAG’s purpose was to enforce the law. Rather, we believe that the investigation was a politically motivated effort to harass a conservative leader who had boldly spoken out against New York’s anti-life and anti-family policies and who had dared to support political opponents of New York Attorney General Letitia James. There simply is no other way to explain the conduct of the OAG during the course of the multi-year ordeal that Jason and our two organizations have endured. Attorney General James, a liberal elected official who has used her position to target pro-life organizations, is ultimately responsible for this ordeal.
We have become aware that the OAG was able to launch its investigation because of an unfounded complaint made against Jason in 2018 by a political candidate’s campaign. Jason has advised us that the unfounded complaint arose from a candidate’s anger over the fact that Jason was supporting his opponent. To the best of our knowledge, no action was ever taken regarding that unfounded complaint. Nevertheless, the OAG used it as a pretext to commence an investigation into Jason.
Beginning in May of 2022, NYFF and NYFA received grand jury subpoenas from the OAG on a combined total of eight occasions. Each subpoena demanded a variety of documents relating to our organizations’ operations and finances. Compliance with the subpoenas wasted hundreds of hours of staff time, requiring staff to search organization files to locate documents responsive to each request. Seven thousand pages of documents have been produced in response to the OAG’s subpoenas. To date, legal defense has cost a combined total of nearly $75,000 in connection with the OAG investigation.
Initially, NYFF and NYFA complied with the OAG’s subpoenas. Eventually, however, it became necessary to protect our donors and staff from certain outrageous demands. For example, the OAG sought the identities of our organizations’ donors, the identities of New Yorkers who attended our events, and even recordings of sermons Jason preached. Through legal counsel, the Board sought the court’s involvement and was able to obtain relief from these improper demands. The OAG also demanded backup documentation about absurd, minor expenses like payments for gutter cleaning and lawn care at our ministry headquarters. Over time, we became more and more convinced that this was a fishing expedition.
It should be noted that Jason was a driving force behind two lawsuits filed against the state—a 2022 lawsuit claiming that a New York gun control law violated the Second Amendment and endangered churches, and a 2023 lawsuit claiming that the OAG’s collection and retention of nonprofit donor data violated the First Amendment—that may have further intensified the OAG’s desire to harass him.
At one point, OAG investigators made an unannounced visit to the home of a NYFF employee. The investigators questioned our employee for over an hour with no attorney present, leaving her (understandably) unnerved and upset. NYFF retained separate legal counsel to represent this employee in connection with the OAG investigation. Of course, that employee has never been charged with any wrongdoing.
The OAG did not confine its investigation to Jason, NYFF, and NYFA. We have been made aware of at least four additional subpoenas that the OAG directed at other businesses and organizations connected to Jason. Furthermore, the OAG threatened to make Jason’s wife, Lorenne McGuire, a target of its investigation as well.
During the course of the OAG investigation, it became clear that the OAG was monitoring bank accounts belonging to NYFF and NYFA, as well as Jason’s personal bank accounts. To put it simply, the OAG knew things that it could not have known without having access to those accounts.
Throughout most of this period, Jason, NYFF and NYFA were kept in the dark as to what (if any) crimes the OAG believed them to have committed. Also, the OAG strongly encouraged Jason, NYFF and NYFA to remain silent about the subpoenas to avoid saying anything that might hinder the investigation.
In December 2024, the OAG unsuccessfully attempted to bully Jason into pleading guilty to felonies that he had not committed. Following negotiations, the OAG agreed to end its investigation if Jason pleaded guilty to two misdemeanors arising out of the filing of incorrect campaign finance disclosure documents relating to Jason’s political activities. The documents in question had no connection to NYFF or NYFA. Jason has advised the Board that three financial transactions were missing from these documents. The Board does not believe that Jason engaged in any intentional wrongdoing whatsoever. The total amount of the three omitted transactions was $1,283.76.
After a season of prayer, Jason—on the advice of legal counsel, and in consultation with the Board—decided to plead guilty and bring this ordeal to a close. If Jason had chosen to go to trial, his legal fees could have cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $250,000. To date, Jason’s legal defense has been paid for without the use of donor dollars from our regular supporters; however, a trial would have made it necessary to use NYFF and NYFA dollars in his defense. Jason did not wish for donor dollars to be used for this purpose. On April 3, 2025, Jason entered his guilty plea. His sentencing is scheduled to occur this summer.
What happened next was truly reprehensible.
While Jason was still at the courthouse, the OAG released a blatantly false and libelous press release concerning his guilty pleas. The press release was entitled “Attorney General James Announces Conviction of New York Political Party Leader for Using Campaign Funds for Personal Expenses.” In it, the OAG made an array of false claims that completely mischaracterized Jason’s guilty pleas. To make matters worse, Attorney General James was quoted as saying that Jason had “abused his position in the New York Conservative Party to line his own pockets with party funds and cover up his theft.”
Unfortunately, the OAG’s lies were repeated by media outlets across New York. Jason’s attorney, David Rothenberg, Esq., wrote to the OAG to ask that the press release be retracted. He has received no reply.
The Board is deeply displeased with the conduct of the OAG in this matter. Nevertheless, we must remind our brothers and sisters in Christ not to repay evil for evil (I Peter 3:9). At this time, we humbly ask that you do four things. First, please pray for Attorney General Letitia James and her staff. Christians are to pray for leaders and those in authority (I Timothy 2:2), even when those leaders do wrong. Second, please pray for Jason, for NYFF, and for NYFA. Third, please share the truth about Jason’s situation on social media. Fourth, please consider making a financial gift to support the ongoing work of NYFF and NYFA.
In spite of this OAG ordeal, please know that NYFF and NYFA—under Jason’s strong leadership—have continued to do the vitally important work that the Lord has entrusted to us. Neither Attorney General James nor anyone else will stop us from standing for righteousness and speaking the truth to power. We look forward to what the Lord will continue to do, both in Albany and across New York, through Jason and his team.
Thank you for your support.
Rev. Emelio Sebastian
Chairman of the Board
Mr. Fred Bassette
Treasurer of the Board
Rev. Justin Bleuer
Secretary of the Board