New York (AFP) - A jury in New York found former NRA gun lobby chief Wayne LaPierre liable Friday for corruptly mismanaging the organization, US media reported.
LaPierre, who faced a civil trial where he was accused of using the National Rifle Association as a "personal piggy bank," was also found by the jury to have cost the organization $5.4 million because of his misconduct -- although he has since repaid $1 million of that.
LaPierre said in January he would step down as president of the NRA, citing unspecified health reasons.
New York state attorney general Letitia James brought a lawsuit against LaPierre and top NRA leaders in August 2020, leading to Friday's verdict.
The 150-year-old NRA is the leading promoter of gun rights in the United States and has focused its efforts since the 1970s on battling gun restrictions.
Polls have showed time and again that the majority of Americans want greater gun control, in a country where mass shootings occur regularly, schoolchildren are subjected to routine shooter drills, and there are more guns than people.
But politicians have repeatedly failed to reform gun laws.
From 2000 to 2012, the NRA and its allies in the firearms industry combined to pour $80 million into US congressional and presidential races, according to an analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics.
In the 2016 presidential election, the NRA spent about $20 million for ads attacking Democrat Hillary Clinton and another $10 million for ads supporting Republican Donald Trump.
