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Jury returns verdict in Wayne LaPierre, NRA corruption civil case
A Manhattan jury has returned a verdict in a civil case accusing the NRA and its longtime head Wayne LaPierre of corruption.
The lawsuit, brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James in 2020, named LaPierre and the gun rights organization, along with other NRA leaders John Frazer and Wilson “Woody” Phillips. Attorneys for the Attorney General’s office alleged misuse of financial resources and claimed NRA leaders ignored whistleblowers and included false information on state filings.
Testimony in the six-week civil trial detailed LaPierre’s lavish spending on perks such as chartered private flights and acceptance of expensive gifts.
LaPierre, 74, resigned his position as CEO and executive vice president and stepped down from the organization last month after more than three decades at its helm.
If the six-member jury finds the defendants liable, the Attorney General’s Office asked the individual defendants be made to repay the NRA and be barred from returning to leadership positions there and from working for nonprofits in the state.
A fourth named defendant, Joshua Powell, the former chief of staff and executive director of operations, earlier settled with James’ office, agreeing to repay $100,000 and not work in nonprofits as well as to testify in the trial.
James had initially sought to dissolve the NRA, a move blocked by a judge who ruled the rest of the suit could proceed.
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NEW YORK — Former New York Gov. David Paterson and his stepson were attacked in New York City on Friday night, authorities said.
The incident occurred just before 9 p.m. on Second Avenue near East 96th Street on the Upper East Side, according to the New York City Police Department.
Police said officers were sent to the scene after an assault was reported. When officers arrived, police say they found a 20-year-old man suffering from facial injuries and a 70-year-old man who had head pain. Both victims were taken to a local hospital in stable condition.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the former governor said the two were attacked while “taking a walk around the block near their home by some individuals that had a previous interaction with his stepson.”
The spokesperson said that they were injured “but were able to fight off their attackers.”
Both were taken to Cornell Hospital “as a precaution,” he added.
Police said no arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing.
The 70-year-old Paterson, a Democrat, served as governor from 2008 to 2010, stepping into the post after the resignation of Eliot Spitzer following his prostitution scandal. He made history at the time as the state’s first-ever Black and legally blind governor.