Earlier this month, the board of directors of the Minuteman anti-illegal immigrant group forcibly removed founder Jim Gilchrist as president, saying it found over $400,000 missing from the organization’s bank accounts.

Gilchrist took the matter to court yesterday, asking a judge to reinstate him, and leveling counter-charges at his former allies:

Gilchrist said all money raised by his organization was accounted for and that his critics had leveled false allegations to gain control of the organization. In court papers, he accused his opponents of hacking into the Minuteman website, stealing money from Minuteman bank accounts, diverting other money to funds they control and stealing 20,000 pieces of letterhead and envelopes.

And Guy Mailly, Gilchrist’s attorney, argued in court that the three members on the seven-member board who ousted Gilchrist had no voting power and, if they had, they voted him out without a required quorum.

Minuteman board members say that:

[A] direct mail company helped raise $750,000 for the group in 2006, but that she believes the Minuteman campaign received only $311,000. [New treasurer Deborah] Courtney said she and others had been unable to trace the rest of the money…

Gilchrist’s opponents also allege in interviews that he used Minuteman funds to promote the book he co-wrote — “Minutemen: The Battle to Secure America’s Borders” — but kept the royalties.

They also said he should not have used $13,000 in Minuteman funds to defend himself in court against their allegations. He said the group must pay to defend itself against “rogues.”

Rev. Marvin Stewart, the group’s new president says that Gilchrist’s charisma drew him into the group, but an organization set up to fight something illegal ought to be rigorous about obeying the law. “[When] we talk about the rule of law as an organization fighting illegal immigration, we too as an organization must be in compliance with the rule of law,” Stewart said. “When we allow these things to occur with any organization, we send a message to the public.”

Are you sure you’re a Republican, Rev. Stewart?