New York Attorney General Letitia James on Wednesday sued anti-immigration website VDARE for misusing at least $2 million in charitable funds, some of which went toward the website’s founders’ purchase of a castle in West Virginia.

In 2020, VDARE founders Peter and Lydia Brimelow bought Berkeley Springs Castle for $1.4 million using funds from the New York nonprofit organization. The couple allegedly purchased the property for extra space for offices and conferences, but moved into the 9,300-square-foot home built in the 1880s.

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James alleged the Brimelows eventually transferred ownership of the castle to their companies, including a separate nonprofit organization registered in West Virginia. The Berkeley Springs Castle Foundation now rents out the castle for public events in a scheme for which VDARE paid over $1.7 million.

The lawsuit takes issue with VDARE’s solicitation of donations even after the Brimelows announced last year that they were shutting down the nonprofit organization.

James argued its closure was a lie. To correct the matter, she asked a New York state judge to dissolve the company, disperse its assets to other charities, and prevent the Brimelows from serving at any other New York nonprofit organization, among other requests.

“Charities are intended to serve the public, not to bankroll castles or pad personal fortunes,” James, who’s authorized to regulate charities registered in New York, said in a statement.

“The Brimelows used VDARE like their personal piggy bank, draining millions in charitable assets to enrich themselves,” she added. “New Yorkers deserve accountability, and we will not allow these bad actors to keep abusing the trust of their donors and the public. My office is taking action to ensure these funds are used for their intended charitable purpose, remove the Brimelows from control, and shut down this fraudulent organization.”

Wednesday’s lawsuit follows a 2022 lawsuit, also filed by James, that forced a state judge to find VDARE in contempt of court for its lack of cooperation in the case.

In July 2024, Peter Brimelow blamed James’s lawsuit and investigation for the company’s closure.

“VDARE has been murdered by the New York state attorney general, Letitia James,” he said in a video posted on VDARE’s X account, which has continued ot actively post more than a year later. “She’s not charged us with anything — it’s important to know. She’s simply battered us to death with an enormous, ongoing, intrusive, quote-unquote investigation.”

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VDARE was a right-wing website that opposed immigration to the United States and was associated with white supremacy and white nationalism, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. VDARE was founded in 1999.

James is also seeking to impose restitution and penalties on the Brimelows and to rescind any transaction deemed unlawful, including those relating to the castle.