Jury says ex-NRA chief LaPierre mismanaged gun rights group, cost it $5.4 million
By Jonathan Stempel and Jack Queen
NEW YORK (Reuters) -A New York state jury found that former National Rifle Association chief Wayne LaPierre mismanaged the gun rights group and cost it $5.4 million, ruling in a civil corruption case brought by New York's attorney general.
The jury said that LaPierre had already repaid the NRA a little more than $1 million, and a judge will ultimately decide how much he must pay the group.
The jury also found that former NRA treasurer and former CFO Wilson Phillips cost the organization $2 million through mismanagement.
John Frazer, the NRA's current secretary and general counsel, did not harm the organization financially, the jury said.
LaPierre — who had also faced possible removal before resigning in January after more than 32 years as chief executive — built the NRA into a political powerhouse that pressed Washington and statehouses to expand gun rights, even as mass shootings mounted nationwide.
But it has struggled in recent years, with revenue down 44% since 2016 and membership dropping by nearly one-third since 2018, according to court papers filed last year.
The lawsuit was filed in 2020 by New York Attorney General Letitia James.
James accused the NRA of letting top executives divert millions of dollars for luxuries, turning the gun rights group into «Wayne's World» as LaPierre enjoyed private jets, expensive trips and a Beverly Hills shopping spree.
James also said the NRA ignored the need for board approval to waive conflicts of interest and approve insider transactions.
Defense lawyers called the lawsuit part of a political «witch hunt» because James, a Democrat, did not like what it stood for and wanted to silence it.
The jury began deliberating on Feb. 16 and needed
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