A little over a month after announcing his resignation from the National Rifle Association, which he ran for more than three decades, Wayne LaPierre — along with John Frazer, the NRA’s corporate secretary and general counsel, and Wilson “Woody” Phillips, former treasurer and CFO — came out the losing end of a civil corruption trial stemming from a lawsuit filed in 2020 by New York Attorney General Letitia James.
After five days of deliberation, a NYC jury ruled that LaPierre and his executives "engaged in a yearslong pattern of financial misconduct and corruption," according to The New York Times, and that LaPierre funneled millions of the NRA's charitable funds into his own pockets, which he then spent on lavish vacations for himself and his family members. Of the $5.4 million spent, he has repaid a portion, but still owes $4.35 million in restitution. Phillips has been ordered to repay $2 million.
In a post to X (formerly Twitter) celebrating her win, James writes, "In a major victory, my office won our case against the NRA and its senior leadership for years of corruption and greed. Wayne LaPierre and a senior executive at the NRA must pay $6.35 million for abusing the system and breaking our laws . . . In New York, you cannot get away with corruption and greed, no matter how powerful or influential you think you may be."
