New York judge imposes 10-year ban on former NRA head Wayne LaPierre, but refuses to appoint supervisor

JAKE OFFENHARTZ, Associated Press

24 minutes ago

Wayne LaPierre, former CEO of the National Rifle Association, leaves the courtroom for a lunch break in the second phase of a civil case filed by New York Attorney General Letitia James against the NRA in New York, Monday, July 29, 2024. LaPierre told a New York judge Monday that appointing an independent monitor to oversee the gun rights group’s finances “would be like sticking a knife through the heart of the organization and twisting it.” (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

NEW YORK (AP) — A New York judge on Monday banned Wayne LaPierre, the former head of the National Rifle Association, from holding a paid position with the organization for 10 years, but refused to appoint an independent monitor to oversee the gun rights group.

Judge Joel Cohen’s divided decision came on the final day of oral arguments in the second phase of a civil lawsuit brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James.

In the first phase of the trial, decided by a Manhattan jury in February, LaPierre and another deputy were found liable for embezzling millions of dollars in expensive travel and other personal expenses.

Cohen ruled from the judicial branch that the state’s request for an oversight agency was not the right solution. He argued that the oversight mechanism “would be time-consuming and disruptive and would impose significant costs on the NRA without any associated benefits.”

Cohen also said he was concerned about “speech-discouraging government interference in the organization’s affairs.”

He said First Amendment concerns did not apply to whether LaPierre could return to the organization in the short term.

“This relief is about the privilege, not the right, to serve as a director or executive officer of a New York nonprofit,” he said.

LaPierre, who sat in the front row as the judge read his verdict, did not respond to questions as he left the courtroom.

Earlier Monday, LaPierre told the judge that appointing a monitor to oversee the gun rights group’s finances “would be like sticking a knife through the heart of the organization and twisting it.”

He described the appointment of a watchdog as an existential threat to the group because it would send a signal to potential members and donors that the NRA was “being watched by this attorney general in New York.”

An attorney for the NRA, Sarah Rogers, echoed those concerns. She said the group had implemented new controls since the jury’s verdict, including hiring new board members and a new compliance team.

However, Deputy Attorney General Monica Connell dismissed these efforts as tepid, saying the old guard is in charge and still controls the organization.

In his ruling, the judge said the NRA’s response to the February verdict had been “notably mixed” and accused the group’s leaders of a “staggering lack of accountability” for their own culpability in years of mismanagement.

He invited lawyers from the NRA and the state to submit further proposals for reforming the organization.

LaPierre, CEO and executive vice president of the group for more than three decades, stepped down in January, on the eve of the first phase of the process.

These proceedings shed light on the organization’s leadership, culture and financing. Attorneys for the state accuse LaPierre of siphoning off millions of dollars from the organization to finance his extravagant lifestyle, including private jet travel, expensive suits and family vacations.

The jury ordered LaPierre to pay nearly $4.4 million in restitution to the organization, while retired NRA chief financial officer Wilson “Woody” Phillips was ordered to pay $2 million in restitution.

The second phase of the proceedings was a non-jury trial, meaning that the judge pronounced the verdict.

James sued the NRA and its executives in 2020 under her authority to investigate nonprofits registered in the state. She originally sought to have the entire organization dissolved, but a judge ruled in 2022 that the allegations did not warrant a “corporate death penalty.”

The final stage of the process came as the NRA was embroiled in an internal power struggle, pitting its new reform-minded director, Doug Hamlin, against leaders who had long been close to LaPierre.

According to an expert witness brought in by the group, the NRA has seen a steep decline in revenue since 2018 and lost more than 1.3 million members.