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After a six-week trial and five days of deliberations, a jury in New York has found the National Rifle Association (NRA) responsible for mismanagement and its former leader, Wayne LaPierre, responsible for corrupt practices.
On Friday afternoon, a group of six individuals determined that Mr. LaPierre had breached his responsibilities as the CEO and must pay the organization over $5 million for misusing funds. They also found grounds for his dismissal.
Before the trial began, Mr. LaPierre, who had resigned from his position, had already given the organization over $1 million.
The jury determined that former CFO Wilson “Woody” Phillips is responsible for $2 million. It was also found that NRA general counsel and secretary John Frazer behaved inappropriately, but there was not enough evidence to justify his removal.
The widely recognized gun rights group was held accountable for mishandling.
New York Justice Joel Cohen will now decide whether Mr. LaPierre should be prohibited from holding roles in a nonprofit organization in New York.
In 2020, New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a case against the NRA for their actions as a nonprofit organization in New York City. She alleged that the group and some of its past and present leaders had engaged in financial misconduct by using funds for personal gain, as well as for the benefit of their associates and select vendors.
The jury’s responsibility was to determine the individual accountability for each defendant. After five days of deliberation, they delivered their verdict.
The verdict required agreement from five out of the six jurors.
On January 8, 2024, Wayne LaPierre, the Chief Executive Officer of the National Rifle Association, arrived at court in New York. The state Supreme Court in Manhattan is expected to hear closing arguments on Thursday, February 15, 2024.
The central figure in these allegations is Mr. LaPierre, who served as the leader of the NRA for over thirty years.
During the six-week trial, lawyers representing the Attorney General’s office contended that Mr. LaPierre utilized NRA funds to cover expenses for private jet travel, luxury yacht excursions, and other personal expenditures. They further alleged that Mr. LaPierre maintained control by hiding payments and consolidating authority, punishing anyone who challenged him, and hiring unqualified individuals, among other methods.
During interrogation, Mr. LaPierre confessed to misusing funds, but claimed he started reimbursing the NRA with over $300,000 in April of 2021.
Nonetheless, Ms. James’s department asserts that Mr. LaPierre and the NRA’s actions to rectify their financial situation only occurred due to her inquiry.
of his alleged financial misconduct
The attorneys representing the NRA have separated the organization from Mr. LaPierre, depicting it as a target of his purported financial wrongdoing.
A previous leader of the NRA, who was originally named in Ms James’ lawsuit, Josh Powell, reached a settlement with the attorney general’s office prior to the trial. As per the terms of the settlement, he will pay the NRA $100,000, provide testimony during the trial, and refrain from holding leadership positions in any nonprofits based in New York.
The verdict was deemed a significant triumph by the attorney general for the citizens of New York and our fight against the NRA’s corrupt and greedy actions.
In a statement on Friday, it was reported that Wayne LaPierre had been using charitable funds for his personal gain, such as extravagant travel, costly clothing, insider deals, and other benefits for himself and his family, over the course of many years.
Ms. James stated that Mr. LaPierre and other top officials at the NRA have blatantly misused their positions and violated the law.
She stated that Wayne LaPierre and the NRA are finally being held accountable after years of widespread corruption and self-dealing.
Source: independent.co.uk
