Libel suit against NY AG seeks $1M

The former chairman of the Livingston County Conservative Committee (LCCC) has filed a libel lawsuit against New York Attorney General Letitia James seeking more than $1 million.

Jason McGuire, who is represented by Nassau County attorney Mark Luccarelli, filed the complaint Friday in state Supreme Court.

McGuire is a Christian pastor and executive director of two not-for-profit advocacy organizations — the New York Families Foundation, and New York Families Action, according to the complaint.

In 2022, the Attorney General’s office alleged that McGuire schemed to divert $16,000 belonging from the Conservative Party for his personal use, according to the suit.

The AG’s office claimed that an investigation showed that McGuire stole funds to purchase clothes, meals and amenities for his wife and himself. But he was never charged with any form of theft, according to the complaint.

Instead, the AG’s office charged McGuire with two counts of Penal Law Section 175.30 — second-degree offering a false instrument for filing, a misdemeanor, according to the suit.

The first count alleged that McGuire filed an inaccurate report with the New York State Board of Elections (BOE) that failed to disclose the transfer of $900 from the LCCC to McGuire’s personal bank account.

“The first count did not allege that the transfer was improper, only that plaintiff failed to disclose it properly in a report to the BOE,” according to the suit.

The second count alleged that, on another report to the BOE, McGuire failed to disclose the transfer of $337.46 from the LCCC to his personal bank account. But the second count did not allege that the transfer was improper, only that McGuire failed to report it to the BOE, according to the complaint.

On April 3, 2025, McGuire pleaded guilty to both counts.

After McGuire’s guilty plea, the AG’s office issued a news release that suggested that McGuire pleaded guilty to theft, and “lined his own pockets” with money that belonged to the LCCC to use for his own benefit, according to the suit.

The AG’s news release stated: “Our investigation revealed that Jason McGuire abused his position in the New York Conservative Party to line his own pockets with party funds and cover up his theft.”

McGuire was never charged with theft, and he did not plead guilty to a crime related to theft, or any other form of illicit diversion of funds from the LCCC to his own personal use, according to the lawsuit.

The new release resulted in news reports that characterized McGuire’s plea as an admission to stealing from the LCCC for his own benefit, according to the suit.

“The statements in the press release, including a quotation directly attributed to defendant, are false. Plaintiff did not steal funds from the LCCC, nor did he plead guilty to doing so,” according to the suit.

“The statements in the press release … were made maliciously and/or with reckless disregard for the truth. Defendant knew, or should have known, the true nature and contents of plaintiff’s plea,” the suit claims.

“Defendant knew, or should have known, that plaintiff’s admissions concerned only failures to disclose certain transactions on reports to the BOE and did not pertain to admissions of theft or improper use of any funds, let alone $16,000, for his personal use and benefit,” according to the complaint.

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