N.Y. Attorney General Letitia James Moves To Dissolve NRA Amid Fraud Probe

N.Y. Attorney General Letitia James filed a suit Thursday seeking to dissolve the National Rifle Association following a probe showing the group is “fraught with fraud and abuse.”

According to NPR, James claims in a lawsuit filed Thursday she found financial misconduct in the millions of dollars and that it contributed to a loss of more than $64 million over a three-year period. The suit accuses NRA executives of misusing charitable funds for personal gain, awarding contracts to friends and family members, and providing contracts to former employees to ensure loyalty.

“The NRA’s influence has been so powerful that the organization went unchecked for decades while top executives funneled millions into their own pockets,” James said in a statement. “The NRA is fraught with fraud and abuse, which is why, today, we seek to dissolve the NRA, because no organization is above the law.”

James is seeking to dissolve the group, which is the most aggressive sanction she could have sought against the nonprofit organization, which James has jurisdiction over because it is registered in New York.

James’ complaint is against the NRA as a whole, but also names current and former executives Wayne LaPierre, general counsel John Frazer, former Chief Financial Officer Woody Phillips, and former Chief of Staff Joshua Powell.

The lawsuit lists dozens of examples of alleged financial malfeasance by the group. The charges include executives using NRA funds for vacations, private jets, and expensive meals. James’ office said the association “instituted a culture of self-dealing, mismanagement and negligent oversight” that contributed to “the waste and loss of millions in assets.”

In addition to dissolving the NRA, James is also asking the court to order the four executives to pay back the unlawful profits and to remove LaPierre and Frazer from the organization’s leadership and prevent the four named executives from ever serving again on the board of a charity in the state.