A New York jury on Friday found the National Rifle Association (NRA) and its former CEO, Wayne LaPierre, liable in a civil corruption trial.
New York Attorney General Letitia James called the decision "a major victory" for her office.
The jury determined LaPierre misspent millions of dollars of NRA money, which he allegedly used on expensive vacations and for traveling on yachts and private planes. The jury also found the NRA failed to properly manage its assets, as well as misrepresented information in tax filings and violated whistleblower protections.
The case came after James sued the gun rights group in 2020, accusing LaPierre and other executives of breaking state laws for financial gain. She originally sought to have the NRA dissolved, but a Manhattan judge ruled against the move in 2022.
The jury found LaPierre—who announced his resignation from the NRA days before the trial began in January—must repay the NRA almost $4.4 million. (LaPierre was found liable for $5.4 million, but he has already repaid the group over $1 million.) Another former executive, retired finance chief Wilson Phillips, owes the group $2 million.
NRA general counsel John Frazer had violated his duties, the jury found, but he was not ordered to repay any money.
"In a major victory, my office won our case against the NRA and its senior leadership for years of corruption and greed," James wrote on X, formerly Twitter, about the decision.
In a separate post, James added: "In New York, you cannot get away with corruption and greed, no matter how powerful or influential you think you may be. Everyone, even the NRA and Wayne LaPierre, must play by the same rules."
In a major victory, my office won our case against the NRA and its senior leadership for years of corruption and greed.
— NY AG James (@NewYorkStateAG) February 23, 2024
Wayne LaPierre and a senior executive at the NRA must pay $6.35 million for abusing the system and breaking our laws.
In a statement posted on its official website, the NRA emphasized that the verdict found it had been "victimized by certain former vendors and 'insiders' who abused the trust placed in them by the Association."
"NRA officials set a confident tone today following the verdict in the New York Attorney General v. NRA lawsuit," the message continued, in part. "The NRA's commitment to good governance was on full display during the trial proceedings."
NRA President Charles Cotton also commented on the jury's decision in the statement.
"We appreciate the service of the jury and the opportunity to present evidence about the positive direction of the NRA today," Cotton said. "NRA members should be heartened by the NRA's commitment to best practices, and we will continue to amplify our compliance record in the pivotal next phase of these proceedings. To the extent there were control violations, they were acted upon immediately by the NRA Board beginning in summer 2018."
Newsweek reached out to the NRA via email on Friday night for further comment.
While the NRA remains an influential voice in conservative politics, the group has been beset by other issues in recent years. The New York Times reported in January that membership "has plummeted to 4.2 million from nearly six million five years ago," while revenue is down 44 percent since 2016.
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