New York seeks to dissolve the National Rifle Association (NRA), as the state attorney general accused the gun rights group and four top officials of participating in a million-dollar fraud against donors.
A lawsuit filed Thursday in state court in Manhattan alleges the NRA diverted charitable donations for years to enrich the organization’s top executives in violation of laws governing nonprofits, the New York attorney general said. , Letitia James, in a statement. The state also requires millions of dollars in restitution and penalties.
The case may represent one of the biggest legal threats the NRA has faced since its founding in New York in 1871. The problems began with a power struggle last year between former NRA President Oliver North and leader Wayne. LaPierre, which led to business relationship allegations. A subsequent state investigation found that the wrongdoing caused more than $ 64 million in losses in the past three years alone, James said.
“The influence of the NRA has been so powerful that the organization was left unchecked for decades as top executives took millions into their own pockets,” James, a Democrat, said in the statement. “The NRA is plagued with fraud and abuse.”
The state investigation into the NRA uncovered a series of irregularities, including awarding lucrative deals to family members and close associates and awarding “no-show” contracts to former employees to “purchase their silence and continued loyalty,” according to the statement.
North, who was interviewed by state investigators, had accused LaPierre of using the NRA to get rich. LaPierre denied the accusation and North was removed as president of the organization.
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