{"id":9358,"date":"2024-01-09T10:50:47","date_gmt":"2024-01-09T10:50:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/?p=9358"},"modified":"2024-01-09T10:50:47","modified_gmt":"2024-01-09T10:50:47","slug":"king-of-the-nra-wayne-lapierres-lavish-spending-at-center-of-new-york-civil-trial-into-whether-executives-violated-nonprofit-laws-at-gun-group","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/?p=9358","title":{"rendered":"\u2018King of the NRA\u2019 Wayne LaPierre\u2019s lavish spending at center of New York civil trial into whether executives violated nonprofit laws at gun group"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The longtime head of\u00a0National Rifle Association<\/a>\u00a0operated as the \u201cKing of the NRA,\u201d spending lavishly on himself, punishing dissent and showering allies with country club memberships and no-show contracts, a lawyer for the New York attorney general\u2019s office told jurors Monday.<\/p>\n

\n

Wayne LaPierre\u2019s methods as the NRA\u2019s executive vice president and chief executive officer allowed him to operate the powerful gun rights organization \u201cas Wayne\u2019s World for decades,\u201d Assistant Attorney General Monica Connell argued in an opening statement in a civil trial scrutinizing his leadership and spending at the nonprofit.<\/p>\n

LaPierre, who said Friday he is leaving the NRA<\/a> after leading it since 1991, watched stoically from a seat along a courtroom wall as six jurors and six alternates were seated for the trial, which is expected to take six weeks. He moved to the front of the gallery as Connell spoke, her argument augmented by a slideshow showing the NRA\u2019s leadership structure and expenses at issue in the case.<\/p>\n

Connell said LaPierre charged the organization more than $11 million for private jet flights over the years and authorized $135 million in NRA contracts for a vendor whose owners provided him repeated access to a\u00a0108-foot (33-meter) yacht<\/a>\u00a0and free trips to the Bahamas, Greece, Dubai and India.<\/p>\n

At the same time, LaPierre, 74, consolidated power and avoided scrutiny by hiring unqualified underlings who looked the other way, routing expenses through a vendor, doctoring invoices, and retaliating against board members and executives who questioned his spending, Connell said.<\/p>\n

In one example, Connell said, the NRA\u2019s former chief financial officer, Craig Spray, found himself unable to log into the organization\u2019s computer system after he objected to LaPierre\u2019s way of doing business. In a November 2020 email to organization brass, Spray took issue with the boss\u2019 authoritarian rule, writing: \u201cThere are no \u2018Wayne said\u2019 approvals at the NRA.\u201d<\/p>\n

LaPierre kept quiet about gifts he received from vendors until the morning he testified in the NRA\u2019s failed bankruptcy in Texas in 2021, Connell said. For years before that, she said, he\u2019d been checking \u201cno\u201d on an internal disclosure form that asked if he\u2019d received any gifts worth more than $300.<\/p>\n

LaPierre\u2019s actions and that of the \u201centrenched leadership\u201d that enabled his alleged behavior \u201cbreached the trust\u201d of the organization\u2019s five million members, Connell said. Their conduct violated laws governing nonprofit charities and the organization\u2019s internal policies governing travel, expenses, conflicts of interest and whistleblower protections, she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey acted illegally over and over again for years,\u201d Connell told jurors.<\/p>\n

New York Attorney General Letitia James sued the NRA, LaPierre and three current or former executives in 2020, alleging they cost the organization tens of millions of dollars from questionable expenditures. In recent years, though, the organization has been\u00a0beset by financial troubles<\/a>, dwindling membership and infighting.<\/p>\n

LaPierre is accused of setting himself up with a $17 million contract with the NRA if he were to exit the organization, and spending NRA money on travel consultants, luxury car services and five-star travel.<\/p>\n

Defense lawyers are expected to give their opening statements Tuesday. LaPierre has defended himself in the past, testifying in another proceeding that his yacht trips were a \u201csecurity retreat\u201d because he was facing threats after mass shootings.<\/p>\n

The other defendants, NRA general counsel John Frazer and retired CFO Wilson Phillips, have denied wrongdoing. Another ex-NRA executive turned whistleblower, Joshua Powell, settled with James\u2019 office on Friday. He has agreed to testify at the trial, pay the NRA $100,000 and forgo further nonprofit involvement.<\/p>\n

One private jet flight, from Washington, D.C. to Dallas, Texas, with a stop in Nebraska to pick up LaPierre\u2019s niece, cost the NRA $59,000, Cornell said. Another, with a Nebraska pitstop on the way to Orlando, Florida, cost the organization $79,000, Cornell said. An NRA policy shown in court said the organization only reimburses for coach-class airline flights. A commercial flight on the same routes would\u2019ve run no more than a few hundred dollars per person, listings show.<\/p>\n

James, a Democrat, is the state\u2019s chief law enforcement officer and has regulatory power over nonprofit organizations incorporated in the state, such as the NRA. James initially sought to shut the organization down, but a judge rejected that as a remedy.<\/p>\n

Now, James is asking that LaPierre and the other defendants be ordered to pay the NRA back and that they be banned from serving in leadership positions of any charitable organizations conducting business in the state \u2014 such as accepting donations from New Yorkers or having state residents as members. That would effectively bar them from any NRA involvement.<\/p>\n

The NRA trial is being held in the same Manhattan courtroom as former President Donald Trump\u2019s civil fraud trial. Closing arguments in that case are scheduled for Thursday, forcing the NRA trial to relocate to a different courtroom for a few days.<\/p>\n

LaPierre said he would resign at the end of the month. The NRA said he was exiting for health reasons. NRA lawyers argued in a court filing over the weekend that LaPierre\u2019s departure is an example of \u201cclear corrective action\u201d taken by the organization, but state lawyers disputed that.<\/p>\n

The NRA was chartered as a nonprofit in New York in 1871 by Union Army officers who wanted to improve marksmanship among soldiers after the Civil War. Some of the organization\u2019s earliest meetings were at an armory about 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers) north of the courthouse where the trial is being held.<\/p>\n

LaPierre is expected to testify, possibly as early as this week, along with one of his chief nemeses: former NRA board member and president Lt. Col. Oliver North.<\/p>\n

A major signal of internal strife roiling the NRA burst onto the public scene in 2019, when North tried to oust LaPierre with damaging allegations about travel expenses and accusations that LaPierre had charged tens of thousands of dollars in wardrobe purchases to his expense account.<\/p>\n

LaPierre complained that North had \u201cstarted to interfere\u201d with his leadership and, with allies among most of the organization\u2019s 76 board members, won the struggle.\u00a0North was ousted instead<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Subscribe to the CFO Daily newsletter to keep up with the trends, issues, and executives shaping corporate finance. Sign up<\/a> for free.<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The longtime head of\u00a0National Rifle Association\u00a0operated as the \u201cKing of the NRA,\u201d spending lavishly on himself, punishing dissent and showering allies with country club memberships and no-show contracts, a lawyer for the New York attorney general\u2019s office told jurors Monday. Wayne LaPierre\u2019s methods as the NRA\u2019s executive vice president and chief executive officer allowed him […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":96,"featured_media":9359,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[123],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9358","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business"],"yoast_head":"\n\u2018King of the NRA\u2019 Wayne LaPierre\u2019s lavish spending at center of New York civil trial into whether executives violated nonprofit laws at gun group | Unlock Informed Choices with Us<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Looking into whether executives violated nonprofit laws at gun group.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/topat10.com\/?p=9358\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u2018King of the NRA\u2019 Wayne LaPierre\u2019s lavish spending at center of New York civil trial into whether executives violated nonprofit laws at gun group | Unlock Informed Choices with Us\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Looking into whether executives violated nonprofit laws at gun group.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/topat10.com\/?p=9358\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Unlock Informed Choices with Us\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-01-09T10:50:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/topat10.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/AP24008649195215-e1704795918596.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2048\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1365\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Michael R. Sisak, The Associated Press\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Michael R. Sisak, The Associated Press\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topat10.com\\\/?p=9358#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topat10.com\\\/?p=9358\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Michael R. Sisak, The Associated Press\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topat10.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/ac8c9a7458bd7f85a6904e428cb3d706\"},\"headline\":\"\u2018King of the NRA\u2019 Wayne LaPierre\u2019s lavish spending at center of New York civil trial into whether executives violated nonprofit laws at gun group\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-01-09T10:50:47+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topat10.com\\\/?p=9358\"},\"wordCount\":1059,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topat10.com\\\/?p=9358#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topat10.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/01\\\/AP24008649195215-e1704795918596.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Business\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/topat10.com\\\/?p=9358#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topat10.com\\\/?p=9358\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topat10.com\\\/?p=9358\",\"name\":\"\u2018King of the NRA\u2019 Wayne LaPierre\u2019s lavish spending at center of New York civil trial into whether executives violated nonprofit laws at gun group | Unlock Informed Choices with Us\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topat10.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topat10.com\\\/?p=9358#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topat10.com\\\/?p=9358#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topat10.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/01\\\/AP24008649195215-e1704795918596.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-01-09T10:50:47+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topat10.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/ac8c9a7458bd7f85a6904e428cb3d706\"},\"description\":\"Looking into whether executives violated nonprofit laws at gun group.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topat10.com\\\/?p=9358#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/topat10.com\\\/?p=9358\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topat10.com\\\/?p=9358#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topat10.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/01\\\/AP24008649195215-e1704795918596.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topat10.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/01\\\/AP24008649195215-e1704795918596.jpg\",\"width\":2048,\"height\":1365},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topat10.com\\\/?p=9358#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topat10.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"\u2018King of the NRA\u2019 Wayne LaPierre\u2019s lavish spending at center of New York civil trial into whether executives violated nonprofit laws at gun group\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topat10.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topat10.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Topat10.com\",\"description\":\"Your Trusted Source for Honest Reviews on the Best Online Services, Products, and Websites – Unlock Informed Choices with Us\",\"alternateName\":\"Topat10\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topat10.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topat10.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/ac8c9a7458bd7f85a6904e428cb3d706\",\"name\":\"Michael R. Sisak, The Associated Press\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Michael R. Sisak, The Associated Press\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topat10.com\\\/?author=96\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"\u2018King of the NRA\u2019 Wayne LaPierre\u2019s lavish spending at center of New York civil trial into whether executives violated nonprofit laws at gun group | Unlock Informed Choices with Us","description":"Looking into whether executives violated nonprofit laws at gun group.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/?p=9358","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"\u2018King of the NRA\u2019 Wayne LaPierre\u2019s lavish spending at center of New York civil trial into whether executives violated nonprofit laws at gun group | Unlock Informed Choices with Us","og_description":"Looking into whether executives violated nonprofit laws at gun group.","og_url":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/?p=9358","og_site_name":"Unlock Informed Choices with Us","article_published_time":"2024-01-09T10:50:47+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2048,"height":1365,"url":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/AP24008649195215-e1704795918596.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Michael R. Sisak, The Associated Press","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Michael R. Sisak, The Associated Press","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/?p=9358#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/?p=9358"},"author":{"name":"Michael R. Sisak, The Associated Press","@id":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/#\/schema\/person\/ac8c9a7458bd7f85a6904e428cb3d706"},"headline":"\u2018King of the NRA\u2019 Wayne LaPierre\u2019s lavish spending at center of New York civil trial into whether executives violated nonprofit laws at gun group","datePublished":"2024-01-09T10:50:47+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/?p=9358"},"wordCount":1059,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/?p=9358#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/AP24008649195215-e1704795918596.jpg","articleSection":["Business"],"inLanguage":"en","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/topat10.com\/?p=9358#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/?p=9358","url":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/?p=9358","name":"\u2018King of the NRA\u2019 Wayne LaPierre\u2019s lavish spending at center of New York civil trial into whether executives violated nonprofit laws at gun group | Unlock Informed Choices with Us","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/?p=9358#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/?p=9358#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/AP24008649195215-e1704795918596.jpg","datePublished":"2024-01-09T10:50:47+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/#\/schema\/person\/ac8c9a7458bd7f85a6904e428cb3d706"},"description":"Looking into whether executives violated nonprofit laws at gun group.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/?p=9358#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/topat10.com\/?p=9358"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en","@id":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/?p=9358#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/AP24008649195215-e1704795918596.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/AP24008649195215-e1704795918596.jpg","width":2048,"height":1365},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/?p=9358#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"\u2018King of the NRA\u2019 Wayne LaPierre\u2019s lavish spending at center of New York civil trial into whether executives violated nonprofit laws at gun group"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/","name":"Topat10.com","description":"Your Trusted Source for Honest Reviews on the Best Online Services, Products, and Websites – Unlock Informed Choices with Us","alternateName":"Topat10","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/#\/schema\/person\/ac8c9a7458bd7f85a6904e428cb3d706","name":"Michael R. Sisak, The Associated Press","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Michael R. Sisak, The Associated Press"},"url":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/?author=96"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/AP24008649195215-e1704795918596.jpg","uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/topat10.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/AP24008649195215-e1704795918596.jpg",2048,1365,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/topat10.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/AP24008649195215-e1704795918596-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/topat10.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/AP24008649195215-e1704795918596-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/topat10.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/AP24008649195215-e1704795918596-768x512.jpg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/topat10.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/AP24008649195215-e1704795918596-1024x683.jpg",1024,683,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/topat10.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/AP24008649195215-e1704795918596-1536x1024.jpg",1536,1024,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/topat10.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/AP24008649195215-e1704795918596.jpg",2048,1365,false],"mailpoet_newsletter_max":["https:\/\/topat10.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/AP24008649195215-e1704795918596.jpg",1320,880,false],"woocommerce_thumbnail":["https:\/\/topat10.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/AP24008649195215-e1704795918596-380x380.jpg",380,380,true],"woocommerce_single":["https:\/\/topat10.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/AP24008649195215-e1704795918596-1000x1365.jpg",1000,1365,true],"woocommerce_gallery_thumbnail":["https:\/\/topat10.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/AP24008649195215-e1704795918596-120x120.jpg",120,120,true],"shareblock_justify":["https:\/\/topat10.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/AP24008649195215-e1704795918596-800x533.jpg",800,533,true],"shareblock_small":["https:\/\/topat10.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/AP24008649195215-e1704795918596-120x120.jpg",120,120,true],"shareblock_largeslider":["https:\/\/topat10.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/AP24008649195215-e1704795918596-1920x1280.jpg",1920,1280,true],"shareblock_featurelarge":["https:\/\/topat10.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/AP24008649195215-e1704795918596-1000x650.jpg",1000,650,true],"shareblock_midlarge":["https:\/\/topat10.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/AP24008649195215-e1704795918596-760x600.jpg",760,600,true],"shareblock_slidergrid":["https:\/\/topat10.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/AP24008649195215-e1704795918596-500x350.jpg",500,350,true],"shareblock_featurelist":["https:\/\/topat10.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/AP24008649195215-e1704795918596-500x368.jpg",500,368,true],"shareblock_featuresmall":["https:\/\/topat10.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/AP24008649195215-e1704795918596-450x450.jpg",450,450,true],"shareblock_justify_sload":["https:\/\/topat10.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/AP24008649195215-e1704795918596-20x13.jpg",20,13,true],"shareblock_small_sload":["https:\/\/topat10.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/AP24008649195215-e1704795918596-20x20.jpg",20,20,true],"shareblock_largeslider_sload":["https:\/\/topat10.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/AP24008649195215-e1704795918596-20x13.jpg",20,13,true],"shareblock_featurelarge_sload":["https:\/\/topat10.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/AP24008649195215-e1704795918596-20x13.jpg",20,13,true],"shareblock_slidergrid_sload":["https:\/\/topat10.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/AP24008649195215-e1704795918596-20x14.jpg",20,14,true],"shareblock_midlarge_sload":["https:\/\/topat10.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/AP24008649195215-e1704795918596-20x16.jpg",20,16,true],"shareblock_featurelist_sload":["https:\/\/topat10.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/AP24008649195215-e1704795918596-20x15.jpg",20,15,true],"shareblock_featuresmall_sload":["https:\/\/topat10.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/AP24008649195215-e1704795918596-20x20.jpg",20,20,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Michael R. Sisak, The Associated Press","author_link":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/?author=96"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"The longtime head of\u00a0National Rifle Association\u00a0operated as the \u201cKing of the NRA,\u201d spending lavishly on himself, punishing dissent and showering allies with country club memberships and no-show contracts, a lawyer for the New York attorney general\u2019s office told jurors Monday. Wayne LaPierre\u2019s methods as the NRA\u2019s executive vice president and chief executive officer allowed him…","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9358","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/96"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9358"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9358\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/9359"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9358"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9358"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9358"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}