[UPDATE] Wayne LaPierre Corruption Trial: NRA Chief Admits To Misuse of Agency Funds

The head of the National Rifle Association (NRA), Wayne LaPierre, acknowledged during his corruption trial that he wrongly expensed private flights as well as the purchase of a handbag for his wife.

On the second day of the defendant's trial, he took to the witness stand to talk about his lavish spending as the NRA chief. After years in which LaPierre ran the agency, the country's best-known gun-advocacy group, internal dissension over its financial practices and controls put him and the organization in the sights of New York Attorney General Letitia James.

LaPierre admitted on Monday that much of his spending had not been authorized by the NRA's board and violated the agency's policies. The legal developments appeared to be a part of a strategy to bolster the contention of LaPierre and the NRA that they have reformed governance and that regulatory intervention is unnecessary.

However, the acknowledgments reinforced criticism from LaPierre's former lieutenants that he was an inept and corrupt manager. The 74-year-old defendant is facing a lawsuit that James brought in 2020, according to the New York Times.

On the eve of the civil trial, LaPierre announced his resignation as the NRA chief, which will take effect on Wednesday. The agency itself is also a defendant in the case, along with John Frazer, its general counsel, and Wilson Phillips, a former finance chief.

The state has detailed many instances of the NRA chief's extravagant spending, which includes more than $250,000 on suits at one Beverly Hills boutique. They also cited trips where LaPierre and his family were hosted by NRA vendors with lucrative contracts on a luxury yacht called Illusions.

There was also spending on charter flights and LaPierre did not dispute that some flights were solely for relatives. It was shown that one family trip to the Bahamas cost the NRA nearly $38,000.

Acknowledging Misuse of Agency Funds

Over the past week, lawyers for the state showed the jury handling the case receipts that documented LaPierre's expenses. These also included a $1,000 handbag that the NRA chief bought for his wife using the agency's money, according to Yahoo News.

During the trial, LaPierre said, "I now know there was a limit of $25" for NRA-sponsored gifts. He said on Monday that he was leaving the organization on "good terms." During recent trial proceedings, the NRA chief said that he was not aware that travel tickets, hotel stays, meals, and yacht access counted as gifts.

LaPierre also acknowledged that he received $274,000 in tailored suits over the years from a media contractor who was working with the NRA. He argued that the suits were needed for TV interviews, adding that producers insisted that he update his wardrobe.

The NRA chief also acknowledged that he authorized private helicopter flights for NRA executives to and from the Texas Motor Speedway during NASCAR events. While he said that the immediate purpose was to avoid getting stuck in traffic, the flights were also part of a larger effort to ingratiate the NRA with country music stars and mainstream groups, said the Washington Post.

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