FOXnHenHouse's Blog

By GILLIAN FLACCUS
Associated Press Writer
SANTA ANA, Calif.
A slow-burning leadership struggle within the Minuteman Project has flared into a full-blown court fight that threatens the 2-year-old anti-illegal immigration group's influence, if not its survival.

Ousted Minuteman founder Jim Gilchrist sued the group's board of directors last week for control of the organization after he was fired and accused of embezzling $400,000 in donations.

Board members, who also fired the group's executive director, also allege Gilchrist used $13,000 of the organization's money for his own legal fees. And they recently filed a complaint with the Internal Revenue Service, saying Gilchrist illegally received a nonprofit postal discount.

On Tuesday, a judge set a March 21 hearing to decide whether to intervene in the dispute, which had been building for more than a year, according to court papers