Former NRA CEO must repay $4.3 million for misappropriating money, court rules
Wayne LaPierre is also barred from serving as an NRA officer or director.
An appellate court in New York has upheld a $4.3 million judgment imposed on former National Rifle Association CEO Wayne LaPierre after he was found liable of misappropriating money.
The Appellate Division's First Department also upheld the prohibition on LaPierre from holding a position as an officer or director of the NRA for 10 years.
"The 10-year ban does not burden LaPierre’s rights to freedom of speech and association, as he remains a member of the NRA and is not precluded from making any public statements or involving himself in fundraising or other outreach," the opinion said. "Neither does the monetary restitution amount constitute a fine. Instead, it serves the remedial purpose of reimbursing the NRA for the losses LaPierre caused, making it compensatory in nature."
The decision is a victory for New York Attorney General Letitia James, who sued the NRA, LaPierre and other current and former officers for self-dealing, alleging they violated New York charities laws by mismanaging the NRA's funds.
The lawsuit was filed in 2020, claiming they misappropriated millions of dollars to fund personal benefits -- including private jets, family vacations and luxury goods. The accusations came at the end of a three-year investigation into the NRA, which is registered in New York as a nonprofit charitable corporation.
“Wayne LaPierre and other senior NRA leaders broke the law by funneling millions of dollars in lavish perks to themselves and their families,” James said in a statement celebrating the appeals court decision.
"This decision upholds the jury’s verdict and is another victory in our efforts to ensure that LaPierre is held accountable for his illegal self-dealing,” James said.
LaPierre argued James brought the case against him in retaliation for his speech advocating for gun rights, but the court rejected that, writing the "Attorney General 'showed as a matter of law that it had probable cause to investigate and sue,' since 'public reports of malfeasance at the NRA predated the investigation' and the investigation uncovered ample evidence of malfeasance.”
LaPierre announced his resignation from the organization in January 2024, days before the start of the trial, citing health reasons, according to the NRA.
After five days of deliberations, a jury in New York in February 2024 held the NRA liable for financial mismanagement and found that LaPierre corruptly ran the nation's most prominent gun rights group.