Family policy director jailed for campaign finance errors

Jason McGuire, executive director of the New York Families Foundation, will begin his first of eight weekends in jail on Friday, following a guilty plea to two campaign filing misdemeanors earlier this year. McGuire will report to the Livingston County Jail at 6 p.m. for incarceration, he told WORLD’s Stephen Kloosterman in a message. The New York Families Foundation’s website describes it as a nonprofit that promotes religious freedom, families, and the rights of the unborn. McGuire is also a past chairman of the Livingston County Conservative Party and vice chairman of the New York State Conservative Party’s executive committee.

What did McGuire do? New York Attorney General Letitia James in April said McGuire pleaded guilty to using funds from the Livingston County Conservative Party for personal expenses. McGuire transferred $16,706.26 from the party’s account to his personal account in 2020 and 2021, James’ office said in a news release. McGuire allegedly used the funds for clothes, restaurants, entertainment, fitness centers, beauty treatments, and household expenses. He filed false campaign finance disclosure reports with the New York State Board of Elections to cover up the transfers, James’ office said.

However, the New York Families Foundation disputed James’ statement, saying that McGuire pleaded guilty to misdemeanors related to errors in campaign finance paperwork—not to using funds for personal expenses.

What did McGuire say about the situation? McGuire on Friday said he pleaded guilty to the charges because he couldn’t afford to fight them in court. He made three minor omissions totaling $1,283.76 on a campaign finance report, he said. McGuire said James’ office combed his finances for three years in what he characterized as politically motivated retaliation for his stance against her pro-abortion policies.

The New York Families Foundation in April also said it believed the investigation was politically motivated. The foundation and its lobbying arm were subpoenaed eight times by James’ office, eventually taking legal action to avoid turning over donors’ identities, it said. James’ office also asked for recordings of sermons McGuire preached and lists of attendees to foundation events. The foundation noted that McGuire was behind two lawsuits against New York state—one claiming that a gun control law was unconstitutional, and one arguing that James’ office violated the First Amendment by collecting and keeping nonprofit donor records.

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