“Excess Benefits” is a tax term, meaning money paid to a non-profit’s executives which shouldn’t have been paid. It can mean an unreasonably high salary, or (more usually) money that they misappropriated for themselves, and got caught.
Here is one of NRA’s own expert witness reports, which reveals the following:
“42. In November of 2020, Mr. Lapierre reimbursed excess benefits associated with charter travel for the time period 2015 to 2019 Form 990 of $317,971.32. This was disclosed in the 2019 IRS Form 990.
43. In November of 2021, Mr. Lapierre reimbursed excess benefits associated with charter travel from 2013 to 2014, make-up, gifts, and a leased vehicle in the amount $233,276.05. This was disclosed in the 2020 IRS Form 990.
44. On May 19, 2022, Mr. LaPierre reimbursed the NRA for $13,160.34. The reason for the reimbursement is that, in 2016, Mr. LaPierre paid $14,800.53 to purchase a vehicle leased by the NRA. Later, it was discovered that the average market value for the vehicle was $26,818 . Therefore, an excess benefit calculation was made for the difference plus interest.
45. On September 6, 2022, Mr. LaPierre reimbursed the NRA $100,563.55 for lodging, a purchase of a phone and gifts to NRA employees.”
That adds up to over $650,000, and it only covers 2-4 years; LaPierre has been EVP for 30+ years. The real total must be in the millions, or maybe tens of millions. We’re also told the above numbers only reflect what was undeniably misappropriated. That is, for leased corporate jets (at $7,000+ per flight hour) only those flights that ferried Mrs. LaPierre or her relatives without LaPierre being aboard (so the “it’s necessary for his security” claim can’t possibly apply).
Any bets on how useful this will be to the NY Attorney General? These are from the NRA’s IRS 990, which is made available to the board, and a public record. The board is informed its CEO has admitted, repeat admitted, to misappropriating $650,000 of the nonprofit’s money, but declines to do or say anything about it? Refuses to even ask the CEO “why did you do that”? Refuses to investigate to make sure $650,000 was the right number, that the real losses weren’t larger?
Does that sound like discharging a director’s fiduciary responsibility to NRA’s members?
NRA in Danger 
And I would bet that the Audit Committee was not involved in those calculations nor did they specifically review them.
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Failure to execute their fiduciary responsibilities will not get them off the hook, past or present.
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The numerous excess benefit reimbursements and the job opening for a compliance manager support the N.Y. Attorney General’s claim that NRA is mismanaged, its corporate assets are wasted, misconduct is not punished, and NRA’s officers and board ignore the requirement to comply with the law and bylaws. Where does Wayne LaPierre get all this money to reimburse?
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An even bigger problem seems to be that WLP will get caught in one month, reimburse the NRA, and then three months later, is caught again, and is simply allowed to reimburse the NRA again, with no punishment, questions asked, or rebuke of any kind.
I don’t think for one minute that the AG of New York is not going to make hay with this latest revelation. I don’t know how much time the judge has in mind for this trial, but something tells me that by the time all of the misdeeds of the leadership come out, the time won’t be enough.
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They bent Trump Inc and a Trump Executive over a barrel for because an Corp Exec failed to claim corporate bennies as income. Trump Inc had zero to do with Execs failure to claim the benefits and in almost every cases Feds and State hit offenders with back taxes, penalties, interest and lecture about not trying that again.
What do people think this NY AG going to try to do with NRA and officers on stuff like this.
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I think they and everyone on the board get the Trump treatment and be barred from working for 501(c)(3) corporations ever again. Then maybe we can start to get our organization back
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The NRA was advised over 30 years ago to leave NY because of the state’s political climate and the BOD and Leadership that couldn’t shoot straight stupidly did two things:
1. Decided to stay in NY State – One can only wonder why given the litigious nature of the Empire State.
2. Openly flaunt the NY State Not for Profit operating requirements and controls in concert with a BOD, Audit Committee and others who apparently believed the state laws were merely recommendations.
None of this had to happen, however Wayne, his executive staff and the BOD acted in their interest and here we are. The courts will figure it all out.
As a 40+ year life member I am amazed that there are still true believers that consider all of this to be a conspiracy. No one forced Wayne and the BOD to do what they did, other their their own greed.
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