The outgoing leader of the divisive US gun lobby, the NRA, is facing allegations he misappropriated funds from the organization and ran it as his personal fiefdom.
Wayne LaPierre went on trial in New York on Monday accused of using the NRA as a “personal piggy bank.” The case is expected to last several days.
He said last week he would step down as president of the National Rifle Association, citing unspecified health reasons.
“LaPierre and NRA senior management misappropriated millions of dollars to fund personal benefits, including private jets, expensive meals, and even family trips to the Bahamas,” said the office of state attorney general Letitia James ahead of the trial’s commencement.
“The NRA, as a New York-registered not-for-profit, charitable corporation, has legal obligations to use its funds for charitable purposes, not to support the lavish lifestyles of senior management and organization insiders.”
Both LaPierre and the NRA have denied the claims.
James brought a lawsuit against LaPierre and top NRA leaders in August 2020 and those allegations will now be tested in a New York state civil court.
The 150-year-old NRA is the leading promoter of gun rights in the United States and has focused its efforts since the 1970s on battling gun restrictions.
Polls have showed time and again that the majority of Americans want greater gun control, in a country where mass shootings occur regularly, schoolchildren are subjected to routine shooter drills, and there are more guns than people.
But politicians have repeatedly failed to enact sensible gun reform.
From 2000 to 2012, the NRA and its allies in the firearms industry combined to pour $80 million into US House of Representatives, Senate and presidential races, according to an analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics.
In the 2016 presidential election, the NRA spent about $20 million for ads attacking Democrat Hillary Clinton and another $10 million for ads supporting Republican Donald Trump.
The NRA said the current head of general operations, Andrew Arulanandam, will serve as interim chief executive after LaPierre steps down.
