• About Us
  • Paper Locations
  • Contact
Hispanic News || Shirley Ann Flower Shop || RS Deer Ranch
Tuesday, August 9, 2022
MEDIA KIT
African American News and Issues
63 °f
Houston
  • National
  • Local
  • Opinion
  • Sports
  • Education
  • Health
  • Politics
  • Announcements
  • Afram TV
  • Events
  • Entertainment
No Result
View All Result
African American News and Issues
  • National
  • Local
  • Opinion
  • Sports
  • Education
  • Health
  • Politics
  • Announcements
  • Afram TV
  • Events
  • Entertainment
No Result
View All Result
African American News and Issues
No Result
View All Result
Home #NNPA BlackPress

New York’s Attorney General Alleges Widespread Corruption at the NRA

aframnews by aframnews
August 13, 2020
in #NNPA BlackPress, Community, Crime, Featured, Government, National, News, NNPA, NNPA Newswire, Politics, Stacy Brown
0
Joe Biden Selects Kamala Harris as Running Mate
74
SHARES
1.2k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
FacebookTwitterPinterestLinkedIn

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

You might also like

“Cancer Cluster” Hits Hard in The Fifth Ward/Kashmere Gardens Community.

The African American Library

IN MEMORIAM: Basketball Legend Bill Russell Dies at 88

New York Attorney General Letitia James has launched what many may perceive as a proverbial David v. Goliath battle, filing a suit that seeks to dissolve the powerful National Rifle Association (NRA).

In a news conference held on Thursday, August 6, Attorney General James announced the charges levied against the organization.

The filing alleges illegal conduct and corruption, stating: “…their diversion of millions of dollars away from the charitable mission of the organization for personal use by senior leadership, awarding contracts to the financial gain of close associates and family, and appearing to dole out lucrative no-show contracts to former employees to buy their silence and continued loyalty.”

The State of New York alleges that the organization, its vice-president Wayne LaPierre, former CFO Wilson Phillips, former Chief of Staff and Executive Director of General Operations Joshua Powell, and Corporate Secretary and General Counsel John Frazer failed to manage the NRA’s funds and failed to follow numerous state and federal laws, contributing to the loss of more than $64 million in just three years for the NRA.

“The NRA’s influence has been so powerful that the organization went unchecked for decades while top executives funneled millions into their own pockets,” said James. “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 cites numerous examples where the four defendants listed in the complaint “failed to fulfill their fiduciary duty to the NRA.”

It’s clear that the @NRA has been failing to carry out its stated mission for many years, and today, we sent a strong and loud message that no one is above the law.

Not even the @NRA. pic.twitter.com/TwkD7xXEUQ

— NY AG James (@NewYorkStateAG) August 6, 2020

She alleges that the accused used millions of dollars from NRA reserves funds for personal use, including trips for them and their families to the Bahamas, private jets, expensive meals and other private travel.”

In addition to shuttering the NRA’s doors, Attorney General James said she’s seeking to recoup the millions in lost assets and stop the four defendants from serving on the board of any not-for-profit charitable organization in the state of New York again.

According to the Attorney General’s filing, the four individuals “instituted a culture of self-dealing, mismanagement and negligent oversight at the NRA that was illegal, oppressive, and fraudulent.”

“They overrode and evaded internal controls to allow themselves, their families, favored board members, employees, and vendors to benefit through reimbursed expenses, related party transactions, excess compensation, side deals, and waste of charitable assets without regard to the NRA’s best interests,” James noted.

When board members challenged LaPierre and others over their financial governance and leadership of the NRA, it’s alleged that LaPierre retaliated and turned the board against those who attempted to challenge the illegal behavior.

According to the lawsuit, LaPierre, Phillips, Powell, Frazer and other executives and board members at the NRA allegedly abused their power and illegally diverted or facilitated the diversion of tens of millions of dollars from the NRA.

“These funds were in addition to millions of dollars that the four individual defendants were already receiving in grossly excessive salaries and bonuses that were not in line with the best practices and prudent standards for evaluating and determining compensation.”

Leadership at the NRA also failed to assure standard fiscal controls, failed to respond adequately to whistleblowers, affirmatively took steps to conceal the nature and scope of whistleblower concerns from external auditors, and failed to review potential conflicts of interest for employees, according to the complaint.

According to James, the NRA violated various laws, including the laws governing the NRA’s charitable status, false reporting on annual filings with the IRS, and the OAG’s Charities Bureau.

She further alleged improper expense documentation, improper wage reporting, improper income tax withholding, failure to make required excise tax reporting and payments, payments above reasonable compensation to disqualified persons, and waste of NRA assets in direct violation of New York’s Estates, Powers & Trusts Laws; New York’s Not-for-Profit Corporation Law; the New York Prudent Management of Institutional Funds Act; and New York’s Executive Law.

“The illegal nature of the four individual defendants’ action also violated multiple rules of the NRA’s bylaws, the NRA’s employee handbook, and the NRA’s policy manual,” James stated.

The NRA’s failure to comply with multiple fiduciary responsibilities and state and federal laws resulted in the NRA’s seeing substantial losses on its balance sheet, the complaint stated.

The organization went from enjoying a surplus of more than $27.8 million in 2015 to a net deficit of more than $36.2 million in 2018 — contributing to a total loss of more than $64 million in just three years.

James said that her office began looking into the NRA in February 2019 and now seeks to dissolve the organization.

She’s asking a federal court judge to order LaPierre, Phillips, Powell, and Frazer to make full restitution of funds they unlawfully profited from along with the salaries earned as employees along with additional penalties. The State of New York is also seeking to recover illegal and unauthorized payments to the four individuals, remove LaPierre and Frazer from the NRA’s leadership (the NRA no longer employs Phillips and Powell), and ensure that none of the four defendants can ever again serve on the board of a charity in New York State.

Tags: assure standard fiscal controlscharitable mission of the organizationconceal the nature and scope of whistleblower concernsDavid v. Goliath battledissolvediversion of millions of dollarsfailed to fulfill their fiduciary dutyfeaturedfraudulentIllegalillegal conductimproper expense documentationimproper income tax withholdingimproper wage reportingJohn FrazerJoshua PowellLeadership at the NRAloss of more than $64 millionmismanagementnegligent oversightNew York Attorney General Letitia JamesNew York Prudent Management of Institutional Funds ActNew York's Estates Powers & Trusts LawsNew York's Executive LawNew York's Not-for-Profit Corporation LawNNPA NewswireNRA's fundsnumerous state and federal lawsoppressivepayments above reasonable compensationpersonal usepotential conflicts of interest for employeespowerful National Rifle Association (NRA)required excise tax reporting and paymentsrespond adequately to whistleblowersself-dealingsenior leadershipStacy M. Brownwaste of NRA assetsWayne LaPierreWilson Phillips
Share30Tweet19
aframnews

aframnews

Recommended For You

“Cancer Cluster” Hits Hard in The Fifth Ward/Kashmere Gardens Community.

by aframnews
August 6, 2022
0
“Cancer Cluster” Hits Hard in The Fifth Ward/Kashmere Gardens Community.

By: Kenneth Payne People living around the polluted cancer cluster area in Fifth Ward/Kashmere Gardens has been a silent tragic epidemic in this community for many years and...

Read more

The African American Library

by Crystal LaShan
August 6, 2022
0
The African American Library

Preserving African American History is vital in America because our history was distorted, not valued, nor protected for so long. Creating a space for archiving our past is...

Read more

IN MEMORIAM: Basketball Legend Bill Russell Dies at 88

by NNPA
August 5, 2022
0
IN MEMORIAM: Basketball Legend Bill Russell Dies at 88

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent @StacyBrownMedia Boston Celtics Legend Bill Russell, one of professional basketball’s greatest players and the sport’s most crowned champion, has...

Read more

Fearing a Recession, Many Express Misgivings about a Looming Downturn

by aframnews
August 4, 2022
0
Fearing a Recession, Many Express Misgivings about a Looming Downturn

The silver lining now is that, unlike in previous downturns, the Federal Reserve and the U.S. government have already taken action by making critical adjustments to fiscal and...

Read more

Rocket Mortgage ‘Changing the Course’ for Black Detroit Residents During PGA TOUR Event

by NNPA
July 30, 2022
0
Rocket Mortgage ‘Changing the Course’ for Black Detroit Residents During PGA TOUR Event

As competition in the classic heated up, officials have continued to embrace the mission of giving back to Detroit and the city’s predominately Black neighborhoods. By Stacy M....

Read more
Next Post
Local non-profit hosts laptop drive for underserved students

Local non-profit hosts laptop drive for underserved students

Latest Articles

Back To School Giveaway

Back To School Giveaway

August 8, 2022
Monkeypox, Covid, and Your Vote

Monkeypox, Covid, and Your Vote

August 6, 2022
Can I Change My Mind?

Can I Change My Mind?

August 6, 2022

NEED PAST ISSUES?

Search our archive of past issues Receive our Latest Updates
* indicates required
  • Local
  • National
  • Community
  • Education
  • Politics
  • COVID-19
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Sports

ARTICLES

  • Local
  • National
  • Community
  • Education
  • Politics
  • COVID-19
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Sports

CONNECT WITH US

  • Home
  • Advertise With Us
  • Contact

OTHER PUBLICATIONS

  • Hispanic News
  • Shirley Ann’s Flower Shop
African American News and Issues

African American News & Issues
6130 Wheatley St
Houston, TX 77091
(713) 692-1892

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

Copyright © 2022. African American News & Issues. All rights reserved. Private Policy | Terms of Use |

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • National
  • Local
  • Opinion
  • Sports
  • Education
  • Health
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • Announcements
  • Events
  • Afram TV
  • Contact

Copyright © 2022. African American News & Issues. All rights reserved. Private Policy | Terms of Use |

Are you sure want to unlock this post?
Unlock left : 0
Are you sure want to cancel subscription?