IINDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - APRIL 26: The former president gives a thumbs up to the crowd as he stands on stage along with NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre (R), and Executive Director NRA-ILA Chris Cox (L) at the NRA-ILA Leadership Forum at the 148th NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits on April 26, 2019 in Indianapolis, Indiana. The convention, which runs through Sunday, features more than 800 exhibitors and is expected to draw 80,000 guests. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
On Monday, the National Rifle Association and its former CEO, Wayne LaPierre, went on trial for corruption in a Manhattan courtroom.
The civil case takes place three days after LaPierre’s surprise resignation as the gun rights group’s chief executive.
New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) sued the NRA and LaPierre in August 2020. She claimed that the group transferred millions of dollars so that they could fund luxury perks for top officials, such as travel expenses for LaPierre to several resorts. These include private jets and trips to the Bahamas for LaPierre.
James accused NRA officials of not acquiring board approval for conflicts of interest and insider transactions, as well as agreeing to no-show contracts for associates and retaliating against whistleblowers who suspected financial wrongdoing.
According to James, the organization’s actions violated laws in New York governing nonprofits.
In December, a state appeals court allowed the case to go to trial after James’ probe revealed potential crimes.
The NRA denied any misconduct and claimed that it has made reforms.
The group accused James of targeting them for political reasons and violating the First Amendment by attempting to silence them.
LaPierre attended the jury selection, which started on January 2 and ended on Monday.
The trial is occurring at a difficult time for the NRA, as they have experienced a revenue slide of 44% since 2016, as well as a drop in membership by nearly one-third since 2018.
The NRA stated that the reason LaPierre resigned was due to his poor health. On January 8, they confirmed that he has chronic Lyme disease. The NRA board had previously accused LaPierre of misconduct.
Longtime communications chief of the NRA, Andrew Arulanandam, has been named interim chief executive.
LaPierre is one of three remaining independent defendants in James’ case, and he is scheduled to testify. The other two defendants are secretary and general counsel John Frazer and former finance chief Wilson “Woody” Phillips.
The jury has been tasked to suggest if Frazer should be removed. The judge overseeing the trial will approve or deny his removal.
The fourth individual defendant is the former NRA second-in-command Joshua Powell. He agreed to pay back $100,000 and confessed that he improperly utilized NRA assets.
In 2020, Powell was fired by the NRA. He later accused this organization of being “corrupt” and “greedy.” He even showed support for some gun control measures.
On January 6, a settlement with Powell was confirmed by the attorney general’s office in a statement.
The former NRA President Oliver North is due to testify as well. He left the group during a leadership dispute in 2019.
The trial is scheduled to last six weeks in a Manhattan courtroom, during which the jury will listen to the testimonies delivered by almost 120 witnesses.
Jurors will examine if the individual defendants participated in financial misconduct and, if so, how much they need to repay the NRA. Payments may be lowered if jurors blame the NRA for permitting any misconduct.
LaPierre’s resignation will become effective on January 31.
The NRA stated that, after this date, LaPierre will not work with or consult for the group and will be left without severance arrangements.
James has been in the news a lot in the past year. In September, James sued Donald Trump, his children, and the Trump organization for alleged fraudulent activity. This led to them being charged with forging business records, delivering fake financial statements, insurance fraud and conspiring to carry out these acts of crime.
Her office also claimed to have found evidence of bank fraud and the issuing of false statements to financial institutions. This evidence has been referred to the IRS and the Southern District of New York.
On January 5, James asked New York State Supreme Court Justice Arthur F. Engoron that Trump, his oldest sons, Donald Jr. and Eric, and the Trump Organization be fined $370 million for their continuing crimes of business fraud.
She filed this complaint to Engoron six days before the closing argument of the civil fraud trial was set to commence.
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