Jurors began deliberating Friday in the New York civil corruption trial against the National Rifle Association and its longtime leader, Wayne LaPierre.
The jury will decide whether LaPierre, the organization’s former CEO, drew millions of dollars away from the gun rights group on luxuries for himself, as well as whether other executives flouted laws and internal policies to enrich themselves.
The other defendants are the NRA itself; John Frazer, its corporate secretary and general counsel; and Wilson “Woody” Phillips, its former treasurer and chief financial officer. They are accused of violating their fiduciary duties and failing to take action against LaPierre, 74, ultimately helping him maintain power.
Out of a dozen jurors who sat through the trial, six were randomly chosen Friday morning to deliberate. Five out of six jurors need to agree on the verdict.
The jury will weigh the fate of each defendant separately and decide on a total of nine claims, which include violations of state nonprofit, estate and trust statutes. Those claims are related to whistle-blower protection violations, breaches of duties, wrongful transactions and false filings.
If they find the individual defendants liable, they will recommend the amount of money that each defendant would have to repay the NRA.
The lawsuit was brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James in 2020.
Her attorneys have spent the last six weeks in a New York City courtroom painting the NRA as “Wayne’s World,” which they said was full of free private jets, expensive meals, travel consultants, private security and trips to the Bahamas for him and his family.
During closing arguments on Thursday, Monica Connell, an attorney with the State Attorney General’s Office, compared the defendants to children caught stealing from a cookie jar.
She urged the jury to hold the defendants accountable, even if their attorneys outlined steps they may have taken to address or correct violations.
“Saying you’re…
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