New York AG Sues to Dissolve National Rifle Association

August 6, 2020 by Gracie Kreth
New York AG Sues to Dissolve National Rifle Association
New York State Attorney General Letitia James takes a question after announcing that the state is suing the National Rifle Association during a press conference, Thursday, Aug. 6, 2020, in New York. James said that the state is seeking to put the powerful gun advocacy organization out of business over allegations that high-ranking executives diverted millions of dollars for lavish personal trips, no-show contracts for associates and other questionable expenditures. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

ALBANY, N.Y. – New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a lawsuit against the National Rifle Association Thursday. The lawsuit calls to dissolve the country’s largest pro-gun organization alleging years of corruption and leadership’s personal use of millions of dollars in donations to the organization.

“The NRA is fraught with fraud and abuse, which is why, today, we seek to dissolve the NRA, because no organization is above the law,” James said Thursday.

In the lawsuit, James lists dozens of examples in which the 148-year-old non-profit organization’s leaders used donations for private jets, family trips to the Bahamas, expensive meals, luxury black car services, golf course memberships, and other personal expenses. Registered in New York as a 501(c)(4), the organization is required to use its assets in accordance with the interests and mission of the NRA.

This lawsuit comes as the NRA has been declining financially for several years, and James said the organization’s alleged failure to comply with fiduciary responsibility and government laws is the reason for its $64 million loss in just three years. The lawsuit also accuses the NRA leadership of creating a culture within the NRA that defies internal controls and policies.

“The NRA board’s audit committee was negligent in its duty to ensure appropriate, competent, and judicious stewardship of assets by NRA leadership,” a statement from the attorney general’s office said. “Specifically, the committee failed to assure standard fiscal controls, failed to respond adequately to whistleblowers, affirmatively took steps to conceal the nature and scope of whistleblower concerns from external auditors, and failed to review potential conflicts of interest for employees.” 

James alleges the executive and board members abused their power by diverting tens of millions of dollars from the NRA on top of their own “grossly excessive salaries and bonuses.” 

The lawsuit specifically charges the NRA as a whole and individuals within the organization including Executive Vice-President Wayne LaPierre, former Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer Wilson Phillips, former Chief of Staff and Executive Director of General Operations Joshua Powell and Corporate Secretary and General Counsel John Frazer.

In addition to fully dissolving the organization, James has also asked the court to ensure LaPierre, Phillips, Powell, and Frazer fully repay the funds which they received unlawfully , pay penalties, and never again serve on a board of a charity in the state of New York.

A+
a-
  • Letitia James
  • National Rifle Association
  • New York attorney General
  • In The News

    Health

    Voting

    State News

    Democrats Eye Wisconsin High Court's Liberal Majority to Win Abortion, Redistricting Rulings

    MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin's Supreme Court will flip from majority conservative to liberal control in August and Democrats have... Read More

    MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin's Supreme Court will flip from majority conservative to liberal control in August and Democrats have high hopes the change will lead to the state's abortion ban being overturned and its maps redrawn to weaken GOP control of the Legislature and congressional districts. Democrats... Read More

    States Confront Medical Debt That's Bankrupting Millions

    DENVER (AP) — Cindy Powers was driven into bankruptcy by 19 life-saving abdominal operations. Medical debt started stacking up for... Read More

    DENVER (AP) — Cindy Powers was driven into bankruptcy by 19 life-saving abdominal operations. Medical debt started stacking up for Lindsey Vance after she crashed her skateboard and had to get nine stitches in her chin. And for Misty Castaneda, open heart surgery for a disease... Read More

    Michigan Senate Votes to Repeal 2012 Law Restricting Unions

    LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Hundreds of union supporters filled the halls of the Michigan Capitol on Tuesday as Senate Democrats... Read More

    LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Hundreds of union supporters filled the halls of the Michigan Capitol on Tuesday as Senate Democrats voted along party lines in support of repealing the decade-old “right-to-work” law in a state long considered a pillar of organized labor. Democrats have listed the... Read More

    January 19, 2023
    by Dan McCue
    Arizona Appeals Court Upholds State’s Mail-In Voting System

    PHOENIX — Arizona’s mail-in, early voting process does not violate voters’ constitutional right to privacy, the state Court of Appeals... Read More

    PHOENIX — Arizona’s mail-in, early voting process does not violate voters’ constitutional right to privacy, the state Court of Appeals has ruled. Tuesday’s ruling by a three-judge panel is a blow to the Arizona Republican Party and its chair, Kelli Ward, who had previously tried to... Read More

    So Long, California: Major County Votes to Study Secession

    RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif. (AP) — The November elections saw Californians continue to embrace progressive leadership, but voters in one of... Read More

    RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif. (AP) — The November elections saw Californians continue to embrace progressive leadership, but voters in one of the state’s most populous counties are so frustrated with this political direction that they voted to consider seceding and forming their own state. An advisory ballot... Read More

    November 8, 2022
    by Dan McCue
    Health Care Issues on the Ballot in Several States

    WASHINGTON — It’s not just the control of the U.S. House and Senate that’s hanging in the balance as voters... Read More

    WASHINGTON — It’s not just the control of the U.S. House and Senate that’s hanging in the balance as voters go to the polls today, in states across the nation ballots are being cast on health care issues ranging from abortion to Medicaid expansion and the... Read More

    News From The Well
    scroll top