Clarence Thomas, the most conservative judge on the US Supreme Court, found himself in the middle of a new controversy after the "Pro Publica" website revealed Thursday that a conservative billionaire covered the costs of private education for a member of his family.

Thomas faced a wave of criticism in April when Pro Publica revealed that he had accepted exorbitant gifts, including cruises on a huge yacht and a private jet, at the expense of the same businessman called Harlan Crowe, without declaring them.

In an article published Thursday, "Pro Publica" indicated that Thomas decided in 2008 to send his teenage nephew, whom he had been raising with his wife "like their son" since the age of six, to a private school that costs more than six thousand dollars a month.

But a Hidden Lake Academy bank statement dating back to July 2009 shows that the young man's tuition for that month was paid by Harlan Crowe's Crowe Holdings.

Christopher Grimwood, a former school official, told ProPublica that Crowe paid the tuition for the entire year. It is reported that he also paid his tuition fees at another private school.

According to the same website, Judge Thomas, who has occupied his seat on the Supreme Court since 1991, did not mention these payments in his annual financial statements.

Billionaire real estate mogul Harlan Crowe is one of the largest donors to the Republican Party in the United States.

AFP was unable to obtain immediate comment from Judge Thomas and Crewe Holdings.

Former Republican President George H. W. Bush nominated Clarence Thomas for a seat on the Supreme Court in 1991, and Congress confirmed the appointment despite allegations of sexual harassment brought against him by a former aide. The judge has always denied the charges.