National Rifle Association's EX-CFO Faces $2M Fine and 10-Year Ban for Misspending Gun Rights Money
By Thea Felicity
Jul 09, 2024 03:46 PM EDT
Jul 09, 2024 03:46 PM EDT
(Photo : Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
The National Rifle Association's former finance chief, Wilson "Woody" Phillips, has been banned from managing finances for any nonprofit in New York for the next decade and owes $2 million in damages for his role in a lavish spending scheme, according to AP News.
Phillips's ban is part of New York Attorney General Letitia James' legal battle involving the NRA and its top executives. The details of the settlement, made public on July 9, also require Phillips to undergo training before returning to any fiduciary position.
The jury found Phillips liable for allowing the NRA to bankroll the extravagant lifestyle of its longtime CEO, Wayne LaPierre. The case has also spotlighted massive financial mismanagement within the organization, including unauthorized private jet flights and luxury trips funded by NRA money.
Phillips, who retired in 2018, was accused of approving these expenditures and facilitating payments to contractors linked to LaPierre.
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The trial's first phase concluded with a jury finding LaPierre liable for misusing millions of dollars, requiring him to repay almost $4.4 million to the NRA, which was also covered by AP News.
Meanwhile, John Frazer, the NRA's former general counsel, was found to have violated his duties, but the jury did not assign him any financial liability.
As the trial moves into its second phase, Attorney General James seeks to install an independent monitor to oversee the NRA's charitable assets and to ban LaPierre from serving in leadership roles in any New York-based charitable organizations.
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