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Wayne LaPierre, CEO of the National Rifle Association, leaves New York State Supreme Court as a jury continues deliberations during a trial, Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
New York Attorney General Letitia James did not mince words after securing a landmark courtroom victory over the National Rifle Association (NRA) and three current and former senior leaders.
“This verdict is a major victory for the people of New York and our efforts to stop the corruption and greed at the NRA,” James said after the verdict. “For years, Wayne LaPierre used charitable dollars to fund his lavish lifestyle, spending millions on luxury travel, expensive clothes, insider contracts, and other perks for himself and his family. LaPierre and senior leaders at the NRA blatantly abused their positions and broke the law.”
The conservative pro-gun organization was found liable for improperly administering charitable funds, for ignoring whistleblower complaints, and for making false statements on regulatory filings.
The brunt of the jury’s verdict after the six-week-long trial, however, was reserved for LaPierre and two of his top lieutenants.
The group’s high-profile former leader, who stepped down from his long-held position just days before the trial began, was found liable for financial misconduct and corruption — along with the NRA’s former treasurer and CFO Wilson “Woody” Phillips.
Additionally, Phillips and one of the group’s current top lawyers, John Frazer — who also still serves as the NRA’s corporate secretary — were found liable for failing to uphold certain duties nonprofit executives owe to their organizations under Empire State law.
LaPierre, who was the NRA’s CEO and executive vice president from 1991 until earlier this year, was found liable for $5.4 million in damages to the New York-based organization. He had earlier paid roughly $1 million back to the group and is still on the hook for some $4.35 million, according to the attorney general’s office.
Phillips and Frazer were found liable to the tune of $2 million each.
“[T]oday, after years of rampant corruption and self-dealing, Wayne LaPierre and the NRA are finally being held accountable,” James’ statement continued. “We will not hesitate to pursue justice against any individual or organization that violates our laws or our trust, no matter how powerful they are.”
In August 2020, the attorney general’s office sued the NRAA, LaPierre and the other defendants. The lawsuit sought dissolution of the group and alleged years of rampant fraud — including the use of the organization’s funds to sustain LaPierre’s lavish lifestyle.
In one such allegation that James’ office suggested was an example of the group’s endemic corruption, executives allegedly took helicopter trips to NASCAR races to avoid car traffic.
The NRA fought back to have the lawsuit dismissed, paused, or transferred. In January 2021, Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Joel Cohen shot down those efforts — paving the way for the eventual trial years down the line. Cohen put the kibosh on a similar request in September 2022. An effort by the NRA to countersue James’ office also failed. As did last-ditch efforts by the group to file for bankruptcy and attempt a corporate reorganization in seemingly friendlier Texas.
Aside from the money judgments in the case, a separate hearing before Cohen will now determine whether the attorney general’s office is entitled to non-monetary relief. James has pushed for an independent monitor to oversee the administration of the NRA’s assets, an overhauling of the group’s rules and bylaws relevant to their assets, and for LaPierre to be permanently banned from the NRA or from serving in any other executive role for a New York-based nonprofit.
