AG wants ex-NARAL leader to repay thousands

ALBANY -- The state attorney general's office has accused the former leader of a prominent abortion-rights group of spending charitable funds on shopping sprees, a Hamptons vacation rental, fine dining, high-end hotels and other personal luxuries.

The civil complaint filed Thursday in Manhattan follows 54-year-old Kelli Conlin's guilty plea a year ago to falsifying business records, a felony. Her criminal case was to close without jail time or probation if she paid $75,000 in restitution to NARAL Pro-Choice New York and its affiliated foundation that she led from 1992 through 2010.

However, David Nachman, enforcement section chief of the attorney general's Charities Bureau, said that Conlin's spending amounted to "hundreds of thousands of dollars in improper benefits." Attorney General Eric Schneiderman's office is requesting she repay all of it, with interest, and reimburse its own legal and investigative costs.

Schneiderman has recused himself because his late father, Irving, was NARAL Pro-Choice New York's treasurer for a time. His office appointed an outside counsel to investigate Conlin in March 2011. NARAL and other abortion-rights groups were among Schneiderman's supporters in his 2010 campaign for attorney general.

NARAL Pro-Choice New York and the National Institute for Reproductive Health said Friday they applaud the civil action and have implemented new financial controls since Conlin was terminated in January 2011. The group said it did an internal investigation and has cooperated with the state's probe.

"Ms. Conlin betrayed the trust of NARAL's supporters and donors by using charitable funds to finance her lavish lifestyle," said Jason Lilien, chief of the Charities Bureau. "Our office is committed to rooting out corruption in the charitable sector wherever it exists, and we will vigorously crack down on those who rip off the public for their own personal gain."

Calls to Conlin's attorney weren't immediately returned Friday.

Conlin paid full restitution in the criminal case, according to the Manhattan district attorney's office.