The National Rifle Association has faced numerous accusations over the past few years and has been the subject of both mockery and criticism from Conservatives and Liberals alike during that time. After a failed bid to dissolve the NRA, New York Attorney General Letitia James has moved to new allegations with a different focus in her second amended complaint.
The new complaint from AG Letitia James is no longer seeking to dissolve the NRA. This new complaint does however put out some new legal theories under New York law governing trust relationships. This isn’t bad news for members of the NRA, but this is horrifying news for the individual defendants in this case.
The individual defendants in this case are; Wayne LaPierre, John Frazer, Joshua Powell, and Wilson Phillips.
These individuals may be required to reimburse the NRA for all their salaries, plus interest, while they were misappropriating funds. AG James will also be looking to appoint two individuals to oversee the NRA, one to oversee finances and another to oversee compliance with the law.
NRA in Danger is a group of NRA members, all of whom are life or above, who are deeply concerned about the organization and its future. This group of members feels that the NRA has made the “worst possible decisions” regarding the organization during the course of AG James’ investigastion.
NRA in Danger recently went through the complaint and pulled some of the new allegations being made against the organization and its leadership. Here are just a handful of the accusations being made against the NRA:
- Joshua Powell diverted $30,000 from NRA funds to his wife every month. (Page 68)
- “In early 2018, LaPierre asked the principal of UWS to accompany him on two non- business-related trips to Scottsdale, Arizona. These trips were personal in nature and unrelated to NRA business. On both trips, LaPierre and the UWS principal stayed in suites at a Four Seasons hotel, which the UWS principal charged to his Ackerman McQueen credit card, and which was then billed to the NRA. On the latter trip, in April 2018, LaPierre and the UWS principal took separate private flights on the return leg, LaPierre flying to Dallas TX (at a cost of $27,000) and the UWS principal flying to Savannah GA (at a cost of $35,800). All told, the NRA paid more than $200,000 in travel expenses for these two trips.” (Page 52)
- Advertising Agency Ackerman McQueen assigned a “handler” to LaPierre who would carry thousands in cash for the purpose of tipping. (Page 83) NRA in Danger adds that other officials at the NRA had similar individuals accompanying them for the same purpose.
- During 2019, when all the major financial scandals broke about the NRA, President Wayne LaPierre was awarded a $455,000 bonus. This money was in addition to his $1.2 million salary. (Page 113)
- The NRA was going to purchase a $6 million mansion for Wayne LaPierre. (Pages 56-57)
