For the next six weekends, New York Families Foundation Executive Director Jason McGuire will serve time as a political prisoner.

This injustice is the result of a seven-year witch hunt led by New York’s widely discredited Attorney General Letitia James, who began spying on New York Families Foundation (NYFF) and New York Families Action (NYFA) in 2018 due to the organizations’ pro-life stance. This probe resulted in over 7,000 pages of subpoenaed documents, including demands for donor lists, sermon recordings, and private information about NYFF’s supporters (which they refused to disclose).

Those four years of investigation led to another three years of legal battles that cost New York state over $750,000.

In all seven years of this witch hunt, the AG’s office only uncovered three missing receipts. That’s right — three missing receipts, totaling less than $1,300.

But the omission of those three receipts from a campaign finance disclosure report (unrelated to NYFF and NYFA) was enough for the AG’s office to manufacture a case against Jason McGuire.

In the end, McGuire agreed to plead guilty to two misdemeanors to avoid further burdening NYFF with the legal battle, which had already cost the organization tens of thousands of dollars.

“Letitia James weaponized her office to target me because I dared to speak against her radical, pro-abortion policies,” McGuire wrote. “Rather than drain a quarter-million dollars fighting an overzealous prosecution, I accepted a misdemeanor plea. Make no mistake—this is not justice. It’s political retribution.”

McGuire remains in leadership with full support from New York Families’ board:

“The Board of Directors of New York Families Foundation (NYFF) is outraged and grieved at the results of the recent legal proceedings involving our executive director, Jason McGuire. We believe that New York State Attorney General Letitia James and her staff abused the legal system for partisan and ideological reasons by investigating Jason in the first place. While Jason pleaded guilty to two misdemeanors, he did so for the purpose of making a time-consuming, onerous, and expensive legal problem go away. Based on Jason’s long tenure with our organization, his character, and his integrity, we are confident that Jason did not engage in any intentional wrongdoing. We had hoped that the legal process would see Jason’s case for the politically-motivated sham that it is and would respond appropriately. However, it appears that the statements released by the Attorney General’s media personnel concerning Jason had its intended effect. As a result of Letitia James’ lawfare, Jason will serve as a political prisoner.”

Despite McGuire agreeing to the plea deal, AG Letitia James was not satisfied. Instead of accepting the resolution and moving on, she falsely announced that McGuire had “abused his position in the New York Conservative Party to line his own pockets with party funds and cover up his theft.” AG James alleged that McGuire stole $16,000 for personal expenses – a fact which was never substantiated in over seven years of investigation.

To give you some perspective: If this clerical error had occurred in South Dakota, the individual would be contacted and given a chance to rectify the mistake. If they refused to update the report, then legal action would be taken. What happened in New York is the exact opposite of that – they went on a fishing expedition looking for an excuse to punish Jason McGuire, then lied about the results.

“Let’s be clear: This case was never about money or improper paperwork filings. It was about thought control. The entire prosecution was a tool to gain access to donor lists, sermons, and memberships to expand her lawfare terrorizing organizations that fight for the right to life,” Craig DeRoche, President of Family Policy Alliance, wrote.

Unsurprisingly, many media outlets have failed to accurately report this story. We have seen headlines such as “GOP Leader in New York Pleads Guilty to Stealing Money” – falsely equating McGuire’s admission to the clerical error with the accusation that he stole $16,000.

Please share this story – the true version – far and wide. What happened to Jason should concern every freedom-loving American who values free speech, religious liberty, and conservative values. This isn’t the first time the justice system has been weaponized against Christians, but it is the first time a family policy council has been targeted to this degree. New York must be held accountable for this grave injustice.

We will continue to stand alongside New York Families and Jason McGuire through this difficult time. Click here for ways to support Jason and his family as they navigate the next two months.

“Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them.” -Hebrews 13:3