Ex-operations director Joshua Powell settled civil claims of fraud and abuse.
Former National Rifle Association operations director Joshua Powell has settled civil claims of fraud and abuse brought by the New York Attorney General’s office.
The admission comes hours after Wayne LaPierre, the executive vice president of the NRA, announced his resignation ahead of a trial scheduled to begin Monday. LaPierre cited health reasons, according to the NRA. The resignation will be effective Jan. 31.
Powell was employed by the NRA from 2016 through January 2020 and in that time “Powell breached his fiduciary duties and failed to administer the charitable assets entrusted to his care by using his powers as an officer and senior executive of the NRA to convert charitable assets for his own benefit and for the benefit of his family members,” the settlement agreement said.
I don’t know a huge amount about the NRA, but it is my understanding based on things I’ve heard from people far my senior is that back in the 50s, the NRA was mainly focused on gun safety and training and didn’t spend a lot of time lobbying.