Attorney looks to file lawsuit after only hearing crickets

Elad Gross said Tuesday he still hasn't heard from the group A New Missouri, and is making plans for a lawsuit if the group doesn't respond, soon.

A New Missouri is the not-for-profit group created last year to support now-former Gov. Eric Greitens and his initiatives.

Gross is a St. Louis attorney who, during the first weekend in June, sent a certified and a regular letter to the group's Jefferson City office, asking the organization to release a lot of its information under terms of Missouri's nonprofit laws - and under the Merchandising Practices Act, which prohibits nonprofits and other corporations from participating in fraudulent activities.

Those letters were sent to A New Missouri's office at 105 E. High St.

Gross said in a Monday email, "Today, we tried them at their office. No one answered.

"We tried them later in the day and still no response. My friend left my notices on their door.

"I am sending a letter to the Missouri Secretary of State to ask them to investigate A New Missouri Inc."

In his one-page letter to Jay Ashcroft's office, Gross wrote: "All of the certified letters I sent the organization have been returned as undeliverable.

"Today, an in-person visit during regular business hours received no response."

Noting that "Nonprofit corporations in Missouri are required to maintain a registered office," Gross asked Ashcroft to "consider investigating whether A New Missouri, Inc., is complying with Missouri law."

Meanwhile, he said in a Tuesday morning Facebook post: "This morning, I sent certified mail to everyone I could find who is associated with A New Missouri, Inc.

"I found a few other names, but the only person listed as an officer on the organization's filings is Michael G. Adams a DC attorney (who is) the counsel for the Republican Governors Association (and) a candidate for Kentucky Secretary of State."

Gross said on Facebook that he "called Mr. Adams at all of his numbers and left him voicemails. I sent him an email too.

"And, this morning, I overnighted him all of my requests to A New Missouri, Inc."

Gross was admitted to the Missouri Bar in 2014, and was an assistant attorney general in 2014-16.

"Kentucky, like Missouri, requires nonprofit corporations to let people inspect and copy the records of nonprofits for any reason," he said in the Facebook posting. "He's asking Kentuckians to make him their corporate watchdog - all while his secretive organization in Missouri is not complying with our laws.

"Sometimes folks make mistakes. Sometimes, especially small businesses and nonprofits have trouble juggling all the responsibilities they have when their staff and resources are low."

Still, he said, "You fix the problem. You take responsibility.

"And goodness, A New Missouri, Inc., had a lot of money to fix it."

In an early June Facebook post, Gross described A New Missouri as "the secretive political organization set up by former Gov. Greitens and his team. These types of organizations have been increasingly used to hide political donors and influencers from public disclosure.

"They are the facilitators of dark money politics."

He didn't say how long he'd wait before taking another step to get information from the A New Missouri.

"I will also be sending certified letters to everyone with an address on their corporate filings," he posted Tuesday. "And then I will file a lawsuit against A New Missouri, Inc.

"It's time for folks to be held accountable."

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