Aiexpress – A New York jury convicted the National Rifle Association (NRA) and its former CEO, Wayne LaPierre, of civil corruption on Friday.
The jury decided that LaPierre misused millions of dollars in NRA funds, which he reportedly spent on luxury vacations, yachts, and private planes. The jury also concluded that the NRA failed to properly manage its assets, falsified facts in tax filings, and violated whistleblower rights.
The case arose after New York Attorney General Letitia James sued the gun rights group in 2020, charging LaPierre and other officials with violating state laws for financial gain. She originally tried to disband the NRA, but a Manhattan judge denied her request in 2022.
The jury determined that LaPierre, who announced his resignation from the NRA days before the trial began in January, must reimburse the NRA about $4.4 million. (LaPierre was judged liable for $5.4 million but has already given the group more than $1 million.) Another former executive, retired finance chief Wilson Phillips, owes the organization $2 million.
The jury determined that NRA general counsel John Frazer had violated his duty, although he was not required to reimburse any money.
“In a major victory, my office won our case against the NRA and its senior leadership for years of corruption and greed,” James wrote on X, previously Twitter, following the ruling.
In a different post, James said, “No matter how powerful or important you think you are, you can’t get away with greed and corruption in New York.” “Everyone, including the NRA and Wayne LaPierre, must follow the same rules.”
A statement on the NRA’s website made it clear that the verdict said the group had been “victimized by certain former vendors and ‘insiders’ who abused the trust placed in them by the Association.”
“After the verdict in the New York Attorney General v. NRA lawsuit, NRA officials spoke with confidence today,” the message said in part. “The NRA’s commitment to good governance was on full display during the trial proceedings.”
“We appreciate the service of the jury and the opportunity to present evidence about the positive direction of the NRA today,” Cotton said. “NRA members should be heartened by the NRA’s commitment to best practices, and we will continue to amplify our compliance record in the pivotal next phase of these proceedings. To the extent there were control violations, they were acted upon immediately by the NRA Board beginning in summer 2018.”
In the statement, NRA President Charles Cotton also said something about the jury’s ruling.
The NRA is still a major voice in right-wing politics, but the group has had other problems in the past few years. In January, the New York Times said that membership “has plummeted to 4.2 million from nearly six million five years ago” and that since 2016, sales have dropped 44%.
