New York Attorney General Sues VDARE Foundation and Its Leaders for Misusing Charitable Funds

The New York Attorney General's office has filed a lawsuit against the VDARE Foundation and its leaders, Peter and Lydia Brimelow, alleging years of self-dealing and abuse of charitable assets. The complaint claims that the Brimelows diverted at least $2 million in charitable funds to benefit themselves and their families, while the organization failed to submit required financial filings or submitted untruthful certifications. VDARE also continued to solicit donations even after publicly declaring it had shut down.

Key Takeaways:

• The VDARE Foundation and its leaders, Peter and Lydia Brimelow, are accused of misusing charitable funds to the tune of at least $2 million.
• The Brimelows allegedly used VDARE's charitable funds to buy a medieval-style castle in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, and then orchestrated a series of transactions to transfer ownership of the property to companies they owned or controlled.
• The Brimelows set up a scheme in which VDARE paid rent to the Brimelow-controlled entities in exchange for continued use of the castle and its grounds, extracting hundreds of thousands of dollars from VDARE through sham lease agreements and backdated loans.
• Lydia Brimelow pledged all of VDARE's assets as collateral for a loan from a company managed by her father, according to the AG.
• VDARE has been held in contempt of court twice, owes tens of thousands of dollars in unpaid fines that continue to accrue, and still refuses to comply with court orders.

Statistics:

• At least $2 million in charitable funds diverted by the Brimelows for personal use.
• $1.4 million used by the Brimelows to buy the medieval-style castle in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia.
• $1.7 million sent by VDARE to Berkeley Springs Castle Foundation, a West Virginia corporation created by Lydia Brimelow.
• $1.18 million sent by VDARE to Happy Penguins, a now-defunct Connecticut corporation owned by Peter and Lydia Brimelow.
• $230,000 sent by VDARE to Lydia Brimelow's father for consulting services.
• $150,000 remaining in VDARE's accounts after millions were funneled to family-controlled entities.
• 2 instances of VDARE being held in contempt of court.
• $39,439 in backdated, unrepaid loans to BBB LLC, a for-profit company created and controlled by Lydia Brimelow.

Sources:

• [1] The New York Daily Record
• [2] BridgeTower Media
• [3] Copyright {c} 2025 BridgeTower Media. All Rights Reserved.