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https://www.washingtontimes.co...wsuit-against-gun-r/
NRA donor files class-action suit; claims VP LaPierre blew $275K on suits, $243K on 'luxury travel'
Lawsuit seeks restitution for donation solicitation 'fraud'
By David Sherfinski - The Washington Times - Wednesday, August 7, 2019
A major National Rifle Association donor sued the gun-rights organization this week for fraud, saying its leaders have misspent money over the last four years, ignoring the group's core mission while paying for expensive clothing and trips for CEO Wayne LaPierre.
David Dell'Aquila filed a federal class-action lawsuit in Tennessee and fired off letters to the attorneys general in New York and Washington on Wednesday, urging them to complete investigations into the NRA well before the 2020 election.
"We feel that the NRA no longer represents its membership and has been corrupted by those in control," said Mr. Dell'Aquila, who has given about $100,000 worth of cash and gifts to the group in the last several years and — until recently — had pledged most of his estate to the group when he died.
The lawsuit is the latest headache for the gun-rights organization, which has been rocked this year by the departure of top staffers including President Oliver North and former top strategist Chris Cox, and parted ways with its longtime advertising agency after a public dispute over finances.
The NRA is also facing probes by the attorneys general in New York and Washington over financial activities, with the organization's coveted nonprofit status at risk.
Mr. Dell'Aquila, in his new lawsuit that posted to the Middle District of Tennessee on Wednesday, says the NRA under Mr. LaPierre has drifted from its "core mission" of protecting gun owners' rights and promoting firearm safety.
He lists nearly $275,000 he says the NRA spent on clothes for Mr. LaPierre at a Beverly Hills store and more than $243,000 on "luxury travel" for him to destinations such as the Bahamas and Palm Beach, Florida.
And citing a memo Mr. North wrote in April, the new lawsuit says the NRA has paid the Brewer law firm nearly $2 million a month but the money was "not properly authorized by the NRA." Mr. North had told NRA officials the payments to the Brewer firm, which is representing the organization in a lawsuit against New York, were "draining NRA cash at mind-boggling speed."
NRA President Carolyn Meadows called the expenditures and legal fees in question "stale news" that's been "recycled by those with personal agendas."
"I have full confidence in Wayne LaPierre, the Brewer firm, and the substantial amount of work being done in support of the NRA and our members," she said.
https://www.washingtontimes.co...wsuit-against-gun-r/
NRA donor files class-action suit; claims VP LaPierre blew $275K on suits, $243K on 'luxury travel'
Lawsuit seeks restitution for donation solicitation 'fraud'
By David Sherfinski - The Washington Times - Wednesday, August 7, 2019
A major National Rifle Association donor sued the gun-rights organization this week for fraud, saying its leaders have misspent money over the last four years, ignoring the group's core mission while paying for expensive clothing and trips for CEO Wayne LaPierre.
David Dell'Aquila filed a federal class-action lawsuit in Tennessee and fired off letters to the attorneys general in New York and Washington on Wednesday, urging them to complete investigations into the NRA well before the 2020 election.
"We feel that the NRA no longer represents its membership and has been corrupted by those in control," said Mr. Dell'Aquila, who has given about $100,000 worth of cash and gifts to the group in the last several years and — until recently — had pledged most of his estate to the group when he died.
The lawsuit is the latest headache for the gun-rights organization, which has been rocked this year by the departure of top staffers including President Oliver North and former top strategist Chris Cox, and parted ways with its longtime advertising agency after a public dispute over finances.
The NRA is also facing probes by the attorneys general in New York and Washington over financial activities, with the organization's coveted nonprofit status at risk.
Mr. Dell'Aquila, in his new lawsuit that posted to the Middle District of Tennessee on Wednesday, says the NRA under Mr. LaPierre has drifted from its "core mission" of protecting gun owners' rights and promoting firearm safety.
He lists nearly $275,000 he says the NRA spent on clothes for Mr. LaPierre at a Beverly Hills store and more than $243,000 on "luxury travel" for him to destinations such as the Bahamas and Palm Beach, Florida.
And citing a memo Mr. North wrote in April, the new lawsuit says the NRA has paid the Brewer law firm nearly $2 million a month but the money was "not properly authorized by the NRA." Mr. North had told NRA officials the payments to the Brewer firm, which is representing the organization in a lawsuit against New York, were "draining NRA cash at mind-boggling speed."
NRA President Carolyn Meadows called the expenditures and legal fees in question "stale news" that's been "recycled by those with personal agendas."
"I have full confidence in Wayne LaPierre, the Brewer firm, and the substantial amount of work being done in support of the NRA and our members," she said.
