NY attorney general seeks to dissolve NRA for misuse of funds
Image from Shutterstock.com.
A lawsuit filed Thursday by New York’s attorney general contends that the National Rifle Association should be dissolved because millions of dollars have been diverted away from the organization’s charitable mission.
The suit by New York Attorney General Letitia James says the NRA failed to manage NRA funds in accord with state and federal laws, contributing to a loss of more than $64 million in three years.
“The NRA is fraught with fraud,” James said in a press release. The lawsuit is here.
The suit alleges that NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre wrongly used NRA money and vendor gifts. The suit says he:
• Took NRA-funded private plane trips for himself and his family.
• Visited the Bahamas by private air charter at least eight times with his family at a cost of more than $500,000 to the NRA.
• Traveled to Africa with his wife for all-expenses paid safaris that were gifted by an NRA vendor.
• Secured a post-employment contract for himself with the NRA that is valued at more than $17 million.
• Secured consulting contracts for ex-employees and board members worth millions of dollars.
When board members challenged financial leadership, LaPierre retaliated and turned the board against them, the suit alleges.
The NRA and LaPierre are named as defendants, along with former treasurer and chief financial officer Wilson “Woody” Phillips, former chief of staff and executive director of general operations Joshua Powell, and corporate secretary and general counsel John Frazer.
The suit alleges that the officials “regularly ignored, overrode or otherwise violated the bylaws and internal policies and procedures that they were charged with enforcing.”
