ACORN

[classicman]

ACORN sued the U.S. government Thursday for stripping the nonprofit of funding after employees were caught giving tax advice to a couple they thought was a pimp and his hooker.

The lawsuit, filed in Brooklyn Federal Court, seeks to lift a funding ban put into effect on Oct. 1 in the wake of national outrage over the embarassing scandal.

ACORN staffers were captured on hidden cameras at several offices nationwide, including in Brooklyn, advising the couple to hide their income.

"The charges leveled against ACORN by members of Congress such as that it is a 'criminal enterprise,' or a 'corrupt and criminal organization,' or a 'crooked bunch' are false," the complaint said.

The complaint does not specify how much money the group has lost because of the ban.

Jules Lobel, a lawyer for the Center for Constitutional Rights, which is representing ACORN, said the group's rights were violated because the federal funding went into effect before any investigation was completed.

"It's not the job of Congress to be the judge, jury and executioner," Lobel said.

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