According to a new IRS tax filing from the National Rifle Association (NRA), current and former executives used the nonprofit group’s money for personal benefit and enrichment, the Washington Post reports.
"The NRA said in the filing that it continues to review the alleged abuse of funds, as the tax-exempt organization curtails services and runs up multimillion-dollar legal bills," the Post's report states. "The assertion of impropriety comes four months after the attorney general of New York state filed a lawsuit accusing NRA chief executive Wayne LaPierre and other top officials of using NRA funds for decades to provide inflated salaries and expense accounts."
According to the tax return, the 2019 filing says the gun rights group “became aware during 2019 of a significant diversion of its assets.” The filing also states that LaPierre and five former officials received “excess benefits" -- which is a term the IRS uses when officials have enriched themselves at the expense of a nonprofit entity, the Post's report states.
"The disclosures in the tax return suggest that the organization is standing by its 71-year-old chief executive while continuing to pursue former executives who left the group," the Post continues. The filing says that LaPierre 'corrected' his financial lapses with a repayment and contends that former executives 'improperly' used NRA funds or charged the nonprofit for expenses that were 'not appropriate.'"
Read the full report over at The Washington Post.