DThe long-time head of the influential US gun lobby NRA, Wayne LaPierre, has been found guilty of embezzling funds. A jury in New York found LaPierre guilty on Friday of causing $5.4 million (almost five million euros) in damages to the lobbying organization through his misconduct. According to Attorney General Letitia James, LaPierre and an associate must also pay a total of $6.35 million (5.86 million euros) in fines for “years of corruption and greed.”
James filed a lawsuit against LaPierre and other NRA managers in August 2020. She accused the defendants of using the lobbying organization as their “personal piggy bank” and spending millions on personal benefits such as private jets, expensive restaurants and family vacations in the Bahamas.
The guilty verdict shows that in New York “no one can get away with corruption and greed, no matter how powerful and influential they think they are,” Attorney General James commented on the online service X. “Everyone, even the NRA and Wayne LaPierre, has to play by the same rules hold,” she emphasized.
James spoke of a “great victory”. She had previously successfully sued former President Donald Trump for financial fraud. A New York court sentenced Trump to a $350 million fine in mid-February.
LaPierre announced his resignation as NRA chief in January shortly before the trial began, citing health problems as the reason.
The NRA is one of the most influential lobbying organizations in the USA and claims to have around five million members. It has been resisting tightening US gun laws for decades, sometimes using highly controversial methods.
The NRA's influence is enormous: the organization can exert considerable pressure on politicians and is an important party donor. Among other things, she supported the Republican Trump's presidential election campaign in 2016 with millions of dollars. Attempts to tighten gun laws have repeatedly failed due to resistance from the gun lobby.
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