A National Rifle Association executive reached a last-minute deal with New York Attorney General Letitia James on Saturday ahead of a multimillion-dollar civil corruption trial against the organization that begins Monday.
Joshua Powell, the former executive director of the embattled nonprofit and one of five defendants named in the AG’s lawsuit, agreed to pay $100,000 and admit to misusing charitable funds, according to a statement from James’ office.
Powell is the former chief of staff to Wayne LaPierre, the longtime NRA leader who resigned Friday after three decades at the helm of the gun rights group. LaPierre will step down on January 31, the group said in a statement.
“Joshua Powell’s admission of wrongdoing and Wayne LaPierre’s resignation confirm what we have been claiming for years: the NRA and its senior leaders are financially corrupt,” James said in the statement.
“More than three years ago, my office sued the NRA and its senior management for decades of financial abuse and mismanagement. This is an important victory in our case, and we look forward to ensuring that the NRA and the defendants face justice for their actions.”
Wayne La Pierre, executive vice president and CEO of the National Rifle Association, stepped down this week after more than 30 years at the helm of the gun rights group. AP
James brought a lawsuit against the group in 2020, alleging that senior management used the nonprofit as their “personal piggy bank,” allegedly using millions of dollars in donations for expensive meals, family trips to the Caribbean and private jets.
The NRA’s efforts to dismiss a New York lawsuit against them failed in January 2021, the same month the group filed for bankruptcy protection and announced it was leaving “toxic” New York and rejoining in Texas.
Although headquartered in Virginia, the group was chartered as a non-profit in New York in 1871 and was incorporated in that state.
New York Attorney General Letitia James accused the NRA of using its donations as a “personal piggybank” in a civil lawsuit brought against the nonprofit in 2020. JUSTIN LANE/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
“The plan can be summed up very simply: We’re DESTROYING New York, and we’re moving forward with a plan to re-incorporate the NRA in Texas,” LaPierre said at the time.
In May 2021, a federal judge dismissed the bankruptcy case, saying it was not filed in good faith.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
