NRA Trial If Anyone Is Interested Day To Day Coverage Is Available. $369Mil In Suspect Transactions?

T

thmsmgnm

New member
https://nraindanger.wordpress.com/


https://nraindanger.wordpress.com/2024/01/30/ny-v-nra-another-day-of-trial-with-exhibits/

Exhibit 3.a: Suspect payments, Total of $369 million over eight years. The first four are David KcKenzie’s companies, total of $114 million. The next three are Ackerman McQueen, total over $215 million. The three after that are Gayle Stanford, who booked the executive jets for the LaPierres, total over $16 million.

Exhibit 3.bb: Payments for limousine services, $807,000 over eight years. No taxis or Ubers for this trendy crowd! Woody Phillips alone accounted for over $202,000. Millie Hallow and Tyler Schropp racked up over $100,000 each.


https://nrawatch.org/filing/nra-tri...-up-consistent-control-violations-at-the-nra/

Why might one move NRA to Texas...suggestions in link below. Hint one theory, homestead exemptions to legal judgments

https://nraindanger.wordpress.com/2023/11/06/lapierres-virginia-house-up-for-sale/



Frankel Memo from 20003 Detail Misspending and Abuse of NRA issued Amex Card by Wayne's Executive Assistant. NRA has fought to bury it during legal fights. Now you can read about how long problems gave been going on.

https://nraindanger.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/frenkel-report.pdf
 
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I'm thinking of going to the annual meeting with a t-shirt that says, "Don't blame me, I voted for Neal Knox!" Which is true. Yes, I have been attending the meetings for that long.
 
I used to trade email with Neal Knox back in the 90s. Shame he did not fire Wayne on the spot when Wayne refused to dump Ack-Mac. I know he regretted it.
 
I am posting just a few clips from larger summary of Day 21. Remember this is testimony from NRA staffer and former Nara President Sandra Froman, these people were called to stand by NRA’s attorneys to defend or put a positive spin on “changes made in NRA” which they are claiming indicates problems have been dealt with and reforms made….aka nothing to see here move along.

In my view Erstling testimony was as damaging as much of the NYAG witnesses because he was there he is still there and he talks about his frustration at the situation and the changes made by Spray, who was hired to right the situation then fired when he refused to sign off on annual tax report he neither prepared/participated in preparing/or had a chance to go over. (Spray “quit for health reasons” according to NRA story but his 18 month contract was paid out in according to the terms that if terminated he would be paid the length of his contract, 18 months.)

https://nrawatch.org/filing/nra-trial-day-21-the-nras-parade-of-experts-continues/

The NRA then called long-time NRA employee and current Director of Finance, Michael Erstling. Erstling was previously called by NYAG earlier in the trial.

Erstling testified that when Spray began to work for the NRA in 2018, it was “180 degree turn” from his experience with Phillips.

When asked about what changed, Erstling stated that Spray was “much more engaged” and began to hold monthly meetings; whereas, Erstling had not seen Phillips in years.

Counsel from the NRA reviewed the so-called Top Concerns Memo with Erstling, which was drafted by individuals in the Finance Department of the NRA in 2018. Erstling previously testified about this document at some length.

Erstling testified with respect to the Top Concerns Memo, that “when you look at the totality of what was happening, it was bad.”
 
This is why I dropped out of NRA. I knew hanky pinky was going on when no notable wanted to take the reins. It’s just like other Swamp issues, a lot of people knew what was going on but didn’t want to cause bad PR for Left to use against NRA. Instead it has festered to the point it might collapse. Kinda of a micro edition of what is going on across the country in many institutions that were once highly respected. This to me is kinda like when they tried to fix the World Series. The only difference is these pieces of dung will get to walk away from this.
 
Summary of some of the evidence admitted on Friday, February 9, 2024. The arrogance and lavish spending by NRA officers and hangers on is wild.

2992: An Ackerman McQueen billing to NRA for $54,825 for “out of pocket expenses,” no further detail given.

2996: A limousine bill for one day, during the January 2018 board meeting. $1,305. The next day: $1,104. All for a ride from the Four Seasons, where the LaPierres stayed, to the HQ hotel. The two hotels are within a mile of each other. A cab ride or Uber would have cost under $12.00.

2997: Invoice for one of those leased corporate jet rides. This one carried Mrs. LaPierre’s niece from the SCI convention in Vegas back to her home in Nebraska. $15,495, one-way.

2998: Another leased jet invoice. This one carried Tony Makris and another Ackerman McQueen employee from Dallas to DC. Cost, $17,200 (including $200 for catering).

2999: Another jet invoice. $37,850 to carry the LaPierres and guests from DC to Nebraska, to pick up the niece and family, and then to the Bahamas. Again, one-way, and billed to NRA.
 
Day 23 of Trial

https://nrawatch.org/filing/nra-tri...ut-when-you-add-it-all-up-its-over-1-million/

With respect to the longtime public relations firm of the NRA, Ackerman McQueen, LaPierre agreed with Rogers’s statement that the NRA was the victim of “fraud” in the relationship.
On travel agent Gayle Stanford who booked all of LaPierre’s travel, LaPierre said he did not approve the extra 10% management fee she tacked onto her bills and that it was fair to say this was a fraud on the NRA.
 
You left out:

  • On the ATI relationship in which they filmed episodes of a show starring LaPierre called “CrimeStrike”, LaPierre testified that he owned the relationship with this vendor and that he was “shocked” to hear they kept charging the NRA after they stopped producing shows. He testified that it “looked like they took advantage of the NRA.”
  • He also agreed that his longtime erstwhile friend Tony Makris committed fraud on the NRA.

In other words, while on LaPierre's watch, pretty much the entire world defrauded the NRA for YEARS and the CEO and CFO didn't know nuffin'.
 
I trimmed the info because various sites have rules on posting news related items. I went to war with ArfCom over that repeatedly after that lawsuit outfit went bust. I left the link for more information.


More in-depth coverage of yesterday from Courthouse News.

https://www.courthousenews.com/wayn...-to-nra-as-defense-rests-in-corruption-trial/


From nrawatch.com


LaPierre: “I couldn’t believe it, but when you added everything up it came out to over $1 million.”


Apparently when you got to write checks for the private flights yourself it suddenly becomes real money.

NYAG says the $1 million LaPierre paid the NRA back is a drop in bucket to what LaPierre really owes.
 
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cdoc42
Senior
I always wondered why they sent me a dues renewal 6 months before my current membership expired..."
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This and other reasons is why I quit them.
 
Link to article for final arguments and a sample of what was said.

https://nraindanger.wordpress.com/2024/02/16/ny-vs-nra-transcript-of-final-arguments/

NY Vs. NRA: Transcript Of Final Arguments
The transcript has been released. All the arguments seem good, but then John Frazer’s attorney had an easier job of it than Wayne LaPierre’s attorney did. At one point, he tried to respond to the extensive use of $1,000 a day “black car services”, with “How do you get from point A to B without car service? And does the law require that it be a white car or a blue car or a red car? No. People travel. They use whatever ground transportation is available.” (P. 4561).

New York had the easiest job of all:

“Well, let me tell you something, this case is about corruption. It is. It is about the misuse of charitable funds that we’ve proven were spent for things, like, private jets — and we’ll talk about why that was wrong — limousines and black cars, Glam Squad, meaning hair and makeup expenses, up to see $60,000 expenses that we can document. Five-star hotels, hundreds of thousands of dollars of suits from a store in Beverly Hills, million dollar deals to insiders, payments to loyal board members and pervasive violations of internal controls.” (p. 4614)
 
I'm not certain what the financial damage will be to old deep pockets LaPierre, not sure the courts have announced that yet. Good riddance to bad rubbish.
 
One might hope that the judge will add a 3x multiplier. I don't know if he has the autority to repeal the recent by-laws changes and give the organization back to the members, but one can hope.
 
People who follow this much closer and were involved in litigation expect Judge to appoint some kind of overseer or caretaker until some reforms are implemented.

Judge can cut judgment down but I do not know if NY law allows for him to raise the penalties. It might be a NFL vs USFL kind of deal.

All of this was avoidable if the BOD had fired Wayne and brought in people to clean this up anytime in the Passat 4 years.
 
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