Jury finds NRA and Wayne LaPierre liable in civil corruption trial

Wayne LaPierre diverted millions of dollars away from the National Rifle Association to live luxuriously, while the gun rights group failed to properly manage its finances, a jury found Friday.

The verdict comes after five days of deliberations and ends a seven-week long civil corruption trial in New York City.

The case against the NRA was brought on by a lawsuit filed in 2020 by New York Attorney General Letitia James, who accused LaPierre and other current and former executives of flouting state laws and internal policies to enrich themselves.

The other defendants were John Frazer, the NRA’s corporate secretary and general counsel, and Wilson “Woody” Phillips, its former treasurer and chief financial officer.

The jury ruled largely in favor of James, finding that the National Rifle Association failedto properly run its nonprofit and its assets at any timebetween March 20, 2014 and May 2, 2022.

Jurors also determined that LaPierre, Phillipsand Frazer allviolated their statutory obligation to discharge the duties of their position in good faith.

If jurors found the individual defendants liable, they had to recommend the amount of money that each defendant would have to repay the NRA.

They said LaPierre caused $5.4 million in monetary harm to the NRA, but that he has already repaid at least $1 million of that. The 74-year-old appeared stoic as the verdict was read.

Phillips caused $2 million in monetary harm to the NRA, they found, while Frazer did not cause any monetary harm to the group.

Frazer is the only individual defendant who still works for the NRA. The jury determined that Frazer made or authorized a false statementin the NRA’s annual filings, but that there is no cause to remove him from his post.

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