As dedicated NRA supporters, we know it’s maddening to witness the betrayal from within our own ranks. The latest news reveals the agreed-upon settlement that Wilson “Woody” Phillips, the former CFO of the NRA, confessed to unethical conduct, further deepening the trust issues we’ve had with the organization’s leadership.
Phillips’ Deceitful Contract
Without disclosing their relationship, Phillips admitted to awarding a $1.36 million contract to HomeTelos, a tech company run by his then-girlfriend Nancy Richards. This was a blatant violation of NRA policies designed to prevent conflicts of interest. It took whistleblowers raising the alarm for Phillips to finally come clean about his actions long after the contract had ended.
Shielding LaPierre’s Extravagance
Phillips didn’t just stop at self-serving contracts. Among other things, Phillips was accused of approving invoices for LaPierre’s private jet flights to the Bahamas; facilitating payments to contractors owned by LaPierre’s friends; and allowing an arrangement through which the NRA paid back its longtime advertising agency, Ackerman McQueen, for travel, makeup and other expenses it covered for LaPierre and his wife. He was a key player in hiding Wayne LaPierre’s outrageous spending from the NRA’s internal controls. LaPierre, with Phillips’ assistance, misused millions of dollars on luxury travel, and even yacht trips. This was money meant to protect our Second Amendment rights, not fund their extravagant lifestyles.
$2 Million In Damages To The NRA
Now, Phillips is facing the consequences. He’s been banned from managing any not-for-profit’s finances in New York for the next ten years and owes $2 million in damages to the NRA. This settlement spares him from participating in the trial’s second phase but does little to restore our trust.
The Bigger Picture
This scandal is just the latest in a series of revelations about mismanagement at the NRA. We’ve seen how LaPierre, Phillips, and other top executives have abused their positions and our donations. The jury recently found LaPierre guilty of spending millions in NRA funds on personal luxuries and ordered him to repay almost $4.4 million. This betrayal cuts deep, especially for those of us who have invested our time, money, and trust in the NRA’s mission.
Taking Back Our Organization
As the trial continues, Attorney General Letitia James is pushing for measures to ensure this kind of corruption doesn’t happen again. She’s seeking an independent monitor for the NRA’s finances and wants to ban LaPierre from any leadership roles in New York charities. Manhattan Judge Joel Cohen will decide the remaining issues in the case beginning July 15th, 2024, including whether former LaPierre and ex-general counsel John Frazer should be barred from charitable organizations in the state.
For us, the rank-and-file members. We need to reclaim our organization from these corrupt individuals and ensure our contributions are used to fight for our rights, not to bankroll the lavish lifestyles of a few dishonest leaders. It’s time for a thorough cleanup and a return to the principles that made the NRA a powerful defender of the Second Amendment. Let’s demand accountability and integrity from those who represent us.
Exactly why I am no longer an NRA member. Too much corruption, it’s everywhere.
Oliver North said that when he confronted King LaPierre about the $24 million dollar attorney bill for 13 months.. he said LaPierre said “Stay in your lane, stop doing this, stop asking questions, Brewer (NRA attorney) is the reason why I am not going to spend the rest of my life in an orange jumpsuit,” And the NRA board along with LaPierre forced Oliver North out because they felt he was trying to engineer a coup d’état. North thought it was corruption. I just wonder who was putting what in the NRA boards kool-aid. Imagine you gave your hard earned… Read more »
You are 100% correct!
So, why can’t the NRA sue the individuals who stole and misdirected NRA assets for their personal gain? Seems like a good investment in attorneys to pick up were the NY AG leaves off. It isn’t necessary to achieve “beyond a reasonable doubt”, just “the preponderance of the evidence” to attach their assets.
Since WLP has been CONVICTED he can be sued in civil court. That whiny SOB Fred Goldman sued O.J. Simpson in civil court and won a big judgement event though the guilty bastard Simpson was acquitted by a jury of racists and incompetent prosecutors in his criminal trial. Civil Court is a horse of a different color. Here’s the rub, no monies ever made it to Goldman. I’m afraid the same would happen with WLP. The money is gone and WLP probably doesn’t own much of anything. “Can’t get blood out of a turnip” and civil action shysters are expensive.… Read more »
And … there are still plenty of the old guard still on the BoD and lots of little piglets still slurping at the trough.
Unfortunately, the majority of the BoD are Wayne cronies and listen to NRAPresident Barr (devout Wayne loyalist) and corrupt Charles Cotton!
I’m guessing Wayne has plenty of my left and should be sued by the board, but there is a majority of the board that still protects him.
As I have stated for years, the inept board should sue Brewer for filing the federal bankruptcy because it was filed in “bad faith” in order to avoid litigation by NYAG before the statute of limitations expires.
The amount would be a whopping amount of approaching $25,000,000!!!
i would wager WLP has more then we know and it would take a civil suit with discovery to ferret it out. i guarantee a lot of the missing money is somewhere either in cash or other assets. and if a civil suit is won any and all assets can be seized and sold to satisfy any judgement
Why do you think? A smart autocrat, like Wayne L, gets dirt on everyone to protect himself. A little assist here, a loan there, it all pays off for him. Notice when he ‘retired’. Sorry NRA, I will never donate or subscribe until I think all the cockroaches have been removed and indicted.
Why not publish their home addresses so NRA members can run by, express their appreciation…..
No need to publish. Wayne’s loc can easily be found online. If someone wants to take him to the station, they will.
This whole situation with the NRA and the corruption is the reason I left the NRA. No chance I will return, still corrupt to the core.
We hope that our class action lawsuit with reinstated RICO and “breach of contract” charges will reform the NRA!
While Brewer lost again and he cannot appeal the latest judgement!
Brewer can only do a motion to dismiss, I think for the third or fourth time, which he probably will again (costing all of us members more money), but it will undoubtedly fail again!
But we are now allowed to conduct DISCOVERY for RICO and the books will become open for the first time during the period before that of when the NYAG filed her lawsuit