Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Wayne LaPierre found guilty

NEW YORK (AP) — Wayne LaPierre misspent millions of dollars of the National Rifle Association’s money during his decades leading the powerful gun lobby, using the funds to pay for an extravagant lifestyle that included exotic getaways and trips on private planes and superyachts, a New York jury determined Friday.

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The jury ordered LaPierre, 74, to repay the group he led for three decades $4,351,231. It also ordered the NRA's retired finance chief, Wilson Phillips, to pay back the group $2 million. Jurors also found that the NRA omitted or misrepresented information in its tax filings and violated New York law by failing to adopt a whistleblower policy.

LaPierre sat stone-faced in the front row of the courtroom as the verdict was read aloud.
The verdict is a win for New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat who campaigned on investigating the NRA’s not-for-profit status.

“In New York, you cannot get away with corruption and greed, no matter how powerful or influential you think you may be,” James said in a post on X. “Everyone, even the NRA and Wayne LaPierre, must play by the same rules.”

The loss in court is the latest blow to the powerful group, which in recent years has been beset by financial troubles and dwindling membership. LaPierre, its longtime face, announced his resignation on the eve of the trial.
NRA general counsel John Frazer was also a defendant in the case. Although the jury found that he violated his duties, it didn't order him to repay any money.

The penalties paid by LaPierre — the jury actually found him liable for $5.4 million but determined he’d already paid back a little over a million — and Phillips will go back to the NRA, which was portrayed in the case both as a defendant that lacked internal controls to prevent misspending and as a victim of that same misconduct.

James also wants the three men to be banned from serving in leadership positions at any charitable organizations that conduct business in New York. A judge will decide that question during the next phase of the state Supreme Court trial.

Another former NRA executive turned whistleblower, Joshua Powell, settled with the state last month, agreeing to testify at the trial, pay the NRA $100,000 and forgo further involvement with nonprofits.

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James sued the NRA and its executives in 2020 under her authority to investigate not-for-profits registered in the state.

She originally sought to have the entire organization dissolved, but Manhattan Judge Joel M. Cohen ruled in 2022 that the allegations did not warrant a “corporate death penalty.”

The trial, which began last month, cast a spotlight on the leadership, organizational culture and finances of the powerful lobbying group, which was founded more than 150 years ago in New York City to promote rifle skills and grew into a political juggernaut that influenced federal law and presidential elections.

Before he stepped down, LaPierre, had led the NRA’s day-to-day operations since 1991, acting as its face and becoming one of the country’s most influential figures in shaping gun policy.

During the trial, state lawyers argued that he dodged financial disclosure requirements while treating the NRA as his personal piggy bank, liberally dipping into its coffers for African safaris and other questionable expenditures.

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His lawyer cast the trial as a political witch hunt by James.

LaPierre billed the NRA more than $11 million for private jet flights and spent more than $500,000 on eight trips to the Bahamas over a three-year span, state lawyers said.

He also authorized $135 million in NRA contracts for a vendor whose owners showered him with free trips to the Bahamas, Greece, Dubai and India, as well as access to a 108-foot (33-meter) yacht.

LaPierre claimed he hadn’t realized the travel tickets, hotel stays, meals, yacht access and other luxury perks counted as gifts, and that the private jet flights were necessary for his safety.

But he conceded that he had wrongly expensed private flights for his family and accepted vacations from vendors doing business with the NRA without disclosing them.

Among those who testified at the trial was Oliver North, a one-time NRA president and former National Security Council military aide best known for his central role in the Iran-Contra scandal of the 1980s. North, who resigned from the NRA in 2019, said he was pushed out after raising allegations of financial irregularities.

After reporting a $36 million deficit in 2018 fueled largely by misspending, the NRA cut back on longstanding programs that had been core to its mission, including training and education, recreational shooting and law enforcement initiatives. In 2021, it filed for bankruptcy and sought to incorporate in Texas instead of New York, but a judge rejected the move, saying it was an attempt to duck James’ lawsuit.

Despite its recent woes, the NRA remains a political force. Republican presidential hopefuls flocked to its annual convention last year and former President Donald Trump spoke at an NRA event earlier this month — his eighth speech to the association, it said.

___

Associated Press writer Philip Marcelo contributed to this report.

Jake Offenhartz, The Associated Press

La Pierre did a lot of damage to the NRA's image. He deserves to be penalized. Glad to see the verdict.

T.S.

What this lawsuit was all about, abolishing the NRA. One would have to be a complete idiot to think they gave a fuuck about how LaPierre was spending NRA funds.

^^^That^^^

WLP was greedy. James is ghetto trash and corrupt to her core.

WLP should have been gone along time ago but there’s nothing good about James selectively targeting political opponents.

So is this actually a win for the NRA?
James failed to get the NRA dissolved.
LaPierre is gone.
$6million plus is supposed to get returned to the NRA.
and now that court case is over, the NRA can re-incorporate in Texas or another "friendly" state.

Bitter sweet... Sweet for LaPierre punishment, Bitter for the American Gun Ownership, her true target. More bullshit from new york.

James would eat her own children if the truckers maintain stoppage of running to NYC.

Agreed, but the NRA has been Korrupt since before I was born. WLP/NRA used fearmongering for 30+ years to stack their funds and they 'provided' little benefit for anyone except themselves. GOA & SAF are in another galaxy when it comes to efficacy.

James is despicable prosecutor.

WLP abused his position, but I won't celebrate commies winning.

Makes his "farewell column" in my Ballot Magazine just that much more annoying. 135 million to Ack Mack? 40 grand trips to Bahamas? Fffffff you, Wayne, fff you six ways to Sunday inverted and sideways. Will there ever be a full report from the Board of Directors and an apology made to the paying membership. And it took an idiot like Lettie James to make that rat weasel pack his tent? Big, gold-woven tent?

Hey, if I announce a petition run, will you lifers help me get the signatures? Or should we have a Campfire Slate for next year? We should be able to find enough life members or annuals, put together petitions for each other, ship them in. There's never been an alternate slate and I'd love to try it so there's a REASON to mark those ballots next year. Maybe Ollie North and Chris Cox will join the Campfire Slate?

Fffffffffffffffff you Wayne. Begone. For him, a rifle range is no longer the safest place to be, mmmm?

We cannot afford the time it would take as an organization to go after wlp for the Civil damages caused, but a lawsuit against the BOD for allowing wlp is certainly called for. Need to rid the NRA swamp and ALL WLP'S associates because they are still in charge and have access to NRA assets. Not to mention any golden parachute that asswipe arranged for. Now is the time. Ask for resignations but back with the threat of a lawsuit. The org.needs to move on to regain original and legislative functions. Mb

I got a life membership in the mid 70's when they cost real money and I was a minimally paid young teacher. It's a sad day when a dumb c-word prosecutor steps in and does what the board of directors should have done years ago. In my opinion, the entire board needs to resign, they enabled this. The board needs to be reduced in size to a more manageable number, like 11, and then be replaced with members that have never been on it before. All remaining top employees need to be evaluated, scrutinized, and reviewed and anyone remotely connected to the BS needs to be terminated immediately.
LaPierre and the rest need to be sued into financial oblivion by the NRA. All of us that supported them with our dollars have been robbed. My embarrassment is exceeded only by my anger.

I expect that Potterfield could easily round up enough cash to pay the fines for him.

In this link from NBC News states that the NRA was found guilty of not having a Whistleblower policy if effect, and eight people were effected by it. If that is so, sounds like a law suit in the making. When all of the law suits are filed from this mess, I wonder what will happen.

DaveSkinner, I will sign your petition, if it is needed.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/nra-trial-verdict-rcna138827

I see someone posted 25 minutes ago, guess they didn’t want to get jimmy olsened

NRA election for directors coming up -
maybe we should push Ollie North to re-enter the fray!
I remember him bringing up "financial concerns" - before he got pushed out.

So how many will start another post, three hours later.

My sentiments exactly. Well said, Mr Skinner.

At least it's a start, but about a decade too late.