Jury finds NRA officers violated responsibilities

[KyJim]

To nobody’s surprise, a New York jury has found that Wayne LaPierre, John Frazer, and Wilson”Woody” Phillips violated their fiduciary duties to the NRA. The jury found former president LaPierre had unlawfully caused $5.4 million in damages to the NRA and former secretary and general counsel Frazer caused $2 million in harm. Although the jury found Phillips breached his duties to the NRA, he did not cause monetary harm to it.

I was surprised LaPierre took the stand and admitted using NRA funds for his personal piggy bank. Defendants in civil cases can normally assert their Fifth Amendment right to remain silent if their testimony might incriminate them criminally.

I am hopeful that the NRA can get back to operating solely in the interest of members and gun owners generally.

More information at https://www.nbcnews.com/news/rcna138827

 

[EMC45]

"Negotiating Rights Away"

It is and has been a money-grab group for a long time.

 

[P89DCSS]

If there's someone that thinks this was a fair trial and venue, I have a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you. You all loved WLP when he stood up to Obama after Sandy Hook. Now you all hate him for his clothing allowance. And the DA got what she ran on, destroying the NRA.....

 

[DustyGmt]

Just got my FPC welcome kit in the mail today! I'll join the NRA again when this mess gets sorted out. Sucks to see an institution as powerful as the NRA fall like this. It's disgraceful, I want to belong to a group dedicated to turning the needle back the other way instead of making concessions and compromises just to placate, which IMO the NRA has been doing for far too long, longer than I've been alive but they were the only stop in town for a long time, those days are over.

 

[dweis]

If there's someone that thinks this was a fair trial and venue, I have a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you. You all loved WLP when he stood up to Obama after Sandy Hook. Now you all hate him for his clothing allowance. And the DA got what she ran on, destroying the NRA.....

The motivation of the prosecutor does not exonerate the doer his or her bad deeds. The bad apples are now out of the barrel.

 

[usaral63]

TRULY, the sooner the NRA gets OUT of New York the better for us all. That cesspool is unrecoverable, and frankly has been since the Revolutionary War.........read your history and see just where the place pledged loyalty then, it seems times have hardly changed.

And on the very subject, just what has happened with the projected move to incorporate under Texas law.....anyone know?

 

[buck460XVR]

Living high on the hog on the fears from simple folk afraid of losing their 2nd Amendment rights. No different than Nigerian scammers preying on old ladies. Pathetic.

 

[Hartkopf]

Crooks against crooks. Everybody loses and the NRA will not be stronger when the dust settles. The fact NY has its fingers in it, I’m giving up on whatever comes out of this.

 

[usaral63]

Well, Buck, after well over thirty years in a municipal gov't position I can assure you that what happened with LaPierre is not at all a surprise. Elected commissions/boards/whatever, effectively surrender their perogatives and therefore their duty to that man on the white horse....be he a city or county manager or what have you...... In theory, I once bought in to the "professional manager" view, and after being exposed to it's truly dark side I realized that one would have to look long and hard to find any real example of ethics in Government. I, for one, would far rather have "Gomer" at first base than some so called expert pulled from a roster of like types. That "Gomer", the local fella, can and will be UNELECTED when he screws up or screws the wrong folks, that "manager" plays the game to garner support and is the ultimate smoke blower. T

Those that are elected by the subject group are those that OUGHT to manage........not some hireling from a management group! His loyalty will never lie with you, but rather himself!

Whatever guilt LaPierre holds applies in spades to the NRA board itself.

 

[Carl N. Brown]

New York Attorney General Letitia James (D.) campaigned to investigate the NRA which she said was a "terrorist organization" and she promised to totally shutdown the NRA.
Justice Joel Cohen of the Supreme Court of the State of New York dismissed James’ attempt to dissolve the NRA. " ... the Complaint does not allege the type of public harm that is the legal linchpin for imposing the 'corporate death penalty' ..."
James' accusations of corruption detailed private harm to NRA members and donors by entrenched leadership.

 

[Marc Alverson]

It seems like if the NRA members were dissatisfied with WLP they could decide to elect someone else. Why does Letitia James need to stick her nose into the internal workings of the NRA? Probably it is because she can and she dislikes them. Maybe we should stick our noses into her business ...

 

[JTHunter]

It seems like if the NRA members were dissatisfied with WLP they could decide to elect someone else. Why does Letitia James need to stick her nose into the internal workings of the NRA? Probably it is because she can and she dislikes them. Maybe we should stick our noses into her business ...

Because she is the type of "political figure" that thrives on controversy. Look at how she campaigned on getting DJT as well as the NRA.

 

[Chief TC]

If there's someone that thinks this was a fair trial and venue, I have a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you. You all loved WLP when he stood up to Obama after Sandy Hook. Now you all hate him for his clothing allowance. And the DA got what she ran on, destroying the NRA.....

Clothing allowance? Talk about minimizing notorious criminal behavior. Guy is a 1st class narcissistic dirt bag that led a good and noble organization into the toilet because he is no leader but a user and abuser.

 

[Chief TC]

It seems like if the NRA members were dissatisfied with WLP they could decide to elect someone else. Why does Letitia James need to stick her nose into the internal workings of the NRA? Probably it is because she can and she dislikes them. Maybe we should stick our noses into her business ...

Because Americans are stupid enough to keep re-electing the same idiots and corrupt people thinking they are working for their interests. In 21st century America, morals and sound leadership is absent from all sectors of life. If you choose to keep voting for the same people, you deserve them.

 

[Hartkopf]

Because Americans are stupid enough to keep re-electing the same idiots

Americans are easily fooled by coordinated media, education systems, politicians and even doctors and “science.” Lots of people are waking up and seeing through the BS but I’m not sure it’s enough to overcome the machine that is our corrupt system.

 

[Chuck R.]

Clothing allowance? Talk about minimizing notorious criminal behavior. Guy is a 1st class narcissistic dirt bag that led a good and noble organization into the toilet because he is no leader but a user and abuser.

Agreed!

IF you have the time and interest to see some of the shenanigans' the senior NRA folks were up to just read the forensic accountants report. It reads like a review of an organized crime syndicate. The board of directors were effectively cardboard cutouts rubber stamping basic criminal fraud while looking the other way.

The NRA lawyers themselves put quite a bit of effort into attempting to distance the NRA from it's "former" leaders ship.

Of course it's much easier to overlook the BS that the NRA was up to while claiming it was a victim of a "witch hunt". The AG 's folks actually did a pretty good job of timelining out that most of the NRA's new accountability actions only started after the investigation(s) did.

 

[Craig_AR]

Two or three of the grossest miscreants are gone, but the long term damage to the NRA happened because of a malfeasant Board, especially the Executive Board, who allowed, or even helped, WLP raid the cookie jar (several of them were doing so, also).
Reading a bit of background on the Geenral Counsel also leads me to believe he was too inexperienced as a lawyer in general and totally inexperienced in large non-profit legal issues to be named GC, so he let a lot of badness slide by, in hindsight, not doing his job. You will notice the news of the court decision leaves him ion place.
When general members of the 75-member board tried asking questions, the EB either shut them down or got rid of them. Rememebr just how long Ollie North lasted as President?
Worth while web sites to wander around in are The Reload, NRA in Danger, and NRA Watch.

 

[Sav .250]

Hopefully the NRA gets back on solid footing.

 

[JEBruns]

It seems like if the NRA members were dissatisfied with WLP they could decide to elect someone else. Why does Letitia James need to stick her nose into the internal workings of the NRA? Probably it is because she can and she dislikes them. Maybe we should stick our noses into her business ...

Not the way it works in the NRA, from my understanding. The board appoints the CEO, and board is totally in WP's pocket. Which is why many of us are skeptical that removing WLP is going to cure the disease.

 

[Speedo66]

Yes, the NY AG had a political agenda, but, thankfully, the judge was able to see through that.

When she actually started trying the case on the proper issues, internal corruption, she did a decent investigation job of proving Wayne had his hands where they shouldn’t have been. She even got him to admit to fraud, to the point where he was voluntarily making refunds because he knew they had him, and stepped down from office because he knew they would throw him out.

By the way, any funds recovered from him and his cronies will revert back to the NRA, not to NYS, so this is a real win for the organization. Although the legal fees he has had the NRA paying will probably exceed the recovery. Is the remaining exec. board still corrupt, sure sounds like it, but at least this is a good start.

This had to be done in a liberal state because a more conservative one would have had politicians on the NRA lobbying payroll.

 

[Chuck R.]

Two or three of the grossest miscreants are gone, but the long term damage to the NRA happened because of a malfeasant Board, especially the Executive Board, who allowed, or even helped, WLP raid the cookie jar (several of them were doing so, also).
Reading a bit of background on the Geenral Counsel also leads me to believe he was too inexperienced as a lawyer in general and totally inexperienced in large non-profit legal issues to be named GC, so he let a lot of badness slide by, in hindsight, not doing his job. You will notice the news of the court decision leaves him ion place.
When general members of the 75-member board tried asking questions, the EB either shut them down or got rid of them. Rememebr just how long Ollie North lasted as President?
Worth while web sites to wander around in are The Reload, NRA in Danger, and NRA Watch.

Hopefully for some of them, this is just the beginning..

The IRS is going to take an interest in the whole lavish trips provided by contractors and NRA "perks" that probably weren't claimed as income. Also, I'd find it hard to believe that some of the money laundering schemes aren't worthy of criminal charges.

Also, IF the NRA truly believes itself to be a victim of a few self dealing individuals as per it's own response:

“A parade of NRA witnesses and independent experts established that the NRA was the victim of actions that were pursued in secrecy and not in the interests of the Association – by former vendors and fiduciaries,” says NRA counsel William A. Brewer III. “In any event, the NYAG’s case focused on the past and the NRA lives in the present. It was the NRA that ultimately established the record being pursued by the NYAG. Our client looks forward to phase two of these proceedings – emboldened by its record of good governance.”

: NRA Responds to New York Trial Verdict; Decision Validates NRA’s Position Regarding Wrongdoing by Certain Vendors and Insiders

The National Rifle Association is America’s longest-standing civil rights organization. Together with our more than five million members, we’re proud defenders of history’s patriots and diligent protectors of the Second Amendment.

home.nra.org

Then, in theory we should see the NRA going after some of these to recoup funds.. I'm wondering what the odds of that are..

I really get a kick out of the bolded...

I was going to post the NRA watch link, but it probably wouldn't be credible with some of the members here due to the slant. I do think that they did a pretty good job of covering the trial though.

I'd also wonder (not really) how many of the reforms the NRA has put, or will put in place are a reaction to the NYAG investigation, VS. them attempting to clean house on their own. I really believe that if it weren't for the investigation, then probably WLP would be getting fitted for a new suit sometime tomorrow, or a chartered plane picking up his daughter in NE.

 

[Craig_AR]

I was going to post the NRA watch link, but it probably wouldn't be credible with some of the members here due to the slant. I do think that they did a pretty good job of covering the trial though.

There is clearly a strong bias in the way that site reports on the NRA, especially visible in their "Myths and Facts" pages. Should not be a surprise, given that they are funded by the Everytown anti-gun crowd. That said, there is a lot of truth in many of their articles, and as you said they reported on the trial itself quite well.

 

[AlexanderA]

It seems like if the NRA members were dissatisfied with WLP they could decide to elect someone else.

That's just the problem. The NRA members couldn't elect anyone else because WLP & Co. had stacked the deck. They controlled the entire nominating process, so that the Board would be filled by their cronies.

Even with WLP gone, the NRA is too corrupt to be effective. But, relying on its past laurels, it lives on as a zombie organization. This means that it continues to suck the oxygen (in terms of donations) out of the pro-gun movement. So, the pro-gun movement would be better off if the NRA disappeared completely, clearing the way for other, more effective organizations to take its place.

Also, we need younger, fresher faces as spokespeople. I can't imagine anyone more lacking in charisma than WLP.

 

[usaral63]

And that is the very reason I intend to follow Knox's suggestion and vote ONLY for the four reform candidates!

 

[buck460XVR]

If there's someone that thinks this was a fair trial and venue, I have a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you. You all loved WLP when he stood up to Obama after Sandy Hook. Now you all hate him for his clothing allowance. And the DA got what she ran on, destroying the NRA.....

Sorry, but most of us are agreeing with Chief TC........

Clothing allowance? Talk about minimizing notorious criminal behavior. Guy is a 1st class narcissistic dirt bag that led a good and noble organization into the toilet because he is no leader but a user and abuser.

^^^Absolutely correct.