NYC trial scrutinizing lavish NRA spending nears close

NEW YORK — A New York lawsuit claiming that National Rifle Association executives wildly misspent millions of dollars of the nonprofit’s money on lavish perks for themselves is wrapping up after weeks of contentious testimony.

Closing arguments began Thursday in state Supreme Court in Manhattan in the case state Attorney General Letitia James brought against the NRA, its former CEO Wayne LaPierre and three other NRA officials. Jury deliberations will follow.

Lawyers for two of LaPierre’s co-defendants — NRA general counsel John Frazer and retired finance chief Wilson Phillips — addressed the jury first.

Frazer’s lawyer, William Fleming, said the key question for jurors was whether his client had “acted in good faith and used appropriate care” while serving as the organization’s lawyer.

“He acted at all times in the best interests of the org that he serves. He’s never acted in his own interest,” Fleming argued. “The man was doing his job, and he was doing it well.”

Phillips’ lawyers similarly argued that their client didn’t breach any of his duties to the organization. On the contrary, he devoted more than 25 years to helping LaPierre grow the NRA into something far larger and more impactful than when Phillips began in the 1990s.

The trial has cast a spotlight on the leadership, culture and finances of the NRA, which was founded more than 150 years ago in New York City to promote riflery skills. The group has since grown into a political juggernaut that influences federal law and presidential elections.

LaPierre, who led the NRA’s day-to-day operations since 1991, announced his resignation just days before the trial opened in early January.

In recent years, the advocacy group has been beset by financial troubles, dwindling membership, board member infighting and lingering questions about LaPierre’s leadership.

But at its peak, LaPierre was the strident voice of the American gun rights movement.

Even as the nation was shaken by a ceaseless wave of mass shootings, he warned of “jackbooted government thugs” who would seize people’s guns and demonized gun control advocates as “opportunists” who “exploit tragedy for gain.”

After a gunman killed 26 people at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, in 2012, LaPierre blamed the carnage on violent video games and called for armed guards at every school.