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shannon watts
'Major Victory': NY Jury Finds Wayne LaPierre Liable in NRA Corruption Case
"The NRA has lost its leader, its power, and its wealth," said one campaigner. "Today's trial verdict is one more nail in the NRA's political coffin."
Feb 23, 2024
Democratic New York Attorney General Letitia James and gun control advocates nationwide celebrated on Friday after a Manhattan jury found the National Rifle Association and the NRA's longtime former leader liable in a civil corruption case.
James, who launched the case in 2020, said on social media that "in a major victory, my office won our case against the NRA and its senior leadership for years of corruption and greed. Wayne LaPierre and a senior executive at the NRA must pay $6.35 million for abusing the system and breaking our laws."
After over three decades as the NRA's CEO, LaPierre stepped down in January. The 74-year-old cited health reasons but his resignation from the powerful gun lobbying group came just before the trial began, sparking speculation that he was trying to dodge accountability.
"For years, Wayne LaPierre used charitable dollars to fund his lavish lifestyle. LaPierre spent millions on luxury travel, private planes, expensive clothes, insider contracts, and other perks for himself and his family," James said Friday. "Wayne LaPierre blatantly abused his position and broke the law. But today, LaPierre and the NRA are finally being held accountable for this rampant corruption and self-dealing."
"In New York, you cannot get away with corruption and greed, no matter how powerful or influential you think you may be," she added. "Everyone, even the NRA and Wayne LaPierre, must play by the same rules."
The jury found LaPierre liable for $5.4 million but, because he already repaid some of it, he has to give the group $4.35 million. However, he's not the only executive involved in the case. Jurors also found that NRA general counsel John Frazer must pay $2 million, and former treasurer Wilson "Woody" Phillips violated his official duties. James wants the trio banned from serving in any leadership roles for charities that do business in the state—which will be decided by a judge.
"Jurors also found that the NRA omitted or misrepresented information in its tax filings and violated New York law by failing to adopt a whistleblower policy," according toThe Associated Press. The AP noted that "another former NRA executive turned whistleblower, Joshua Powell, settled with the state last month, agreeing to testify at the trial, pay the NRA $100,000, and forgo further involvement with nonprofits."
Welcoming the jury's decisions, Nick Suplina, senior vice president of law and policy at Everytown for Gun Safety, said in a statement that "we're two months into 2024 and the NRA has already managed to lose this trial, their longtime leader, and whatever political relevance it had left."
"This verdict," he added, "confirms what we've seen in recent elections, in state legislatures, and in the halls of Congress: The gun lobby has never been weaker and the gun safety movement has never been stronger."
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In 'Send-a-Message Verdict,' Jury Finds School Shooter's Mother Guilty
"When adult gun owners allow children unsupervised access to unsecured weapons, it's criminal negligence—not an accident."
Feb 06, 2024
Gun control advocates and at least one victim's father on Tuesday welcomed the landmark guilty verdict in the case of Jennifer Crumbley, whose teenage son Ethan Crumbley murdered four Michigan high school students and wounded seven other people in a 2021 shooting.
"Today's verdict underscores the important responsibility of parents and gun owners in preventing children from having unsupervised access to deadly weapons," said Nick Suplina, senior vice president of law and policy at Everytown for Gun Safety.
"Plain and simple, the deadly shooting at Oxford High School in 2021 should have—and could have—been prevented had the Crumbleys not acquired a gun for their 15-year-old son," he continued. "This decision is an important step forward in ensuring accountability and, hopefully, preventing future tragedies."
A Michigan jury found the mother guilty of four counts of involuntary manslaughter, one for each person killed. Each count has a maximum sentence of 15 years, meaning she faces up to 60 years behind bars. Sentencing is scheduled for April 9.
Her husband, James Crumbley, is set to go to trial next month for the same manslaughter charges. Their son, who is now 17, previously pleaded guilty to murder and terrorism charges and is serving life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Jennifer and James Crumbley are the first U.S. parents to be tried on manslaughter charges for their child's mass shooting. They not only bought their son a pistol but are accused of failing to keep it secured and ignoring his mental health struggles. On the stand, Jennifer Crumbley did not deny that her son had told "his only friend" that he asked her for help and she laughed at him.
As The Associated Pressreported Tuesday:
On the morning of November 30, 2021, school staff members were concerned about a violent drawing of a gun, bullet, and wounded man, accompanied by desperate phrases, on Ethan Crumbley's math assignment. His parents were called to the school for a meeting, but they didn't take the boy home.
A few hours later, Ethan Crumbley pulled a handgun from his backpack and shot 10 students and a teacher. No one had checked the backpack.
According to the AP, "The words with the disturbing drawing said: 'The thoughts won't stop. Help me. The world is dead. My life is useless.'"
Ethan Crumbley murdered Madisyn Baldwin, 17; Tate Myre, 16; Justin Shilling, 17; and Hana St. Juliana, 14. Justin Shilling's father, Craig Shilling, on Tuesday welcomed the verdict outside the courtroom and framed the verdict as a signal to all parents.
"We have been asking for accountability across the board, and this is one step towards that," he told NBC News. "I feel that moving forward is not going to be any easier because of what we left behind, but it gives us hope for a brighter future."
"Do your due diligence with your child," he said to parents. "You cannot choose to take your own interest over your child, especially when it comes to mental health."
While Tuesday's "send-a-message verdict" is a first, there have been other cases involving parents. As Mother Jonesdetailed:
Jennifer Crumbley's conviction comes as America's mass shooting epidemic tests new legal terrain in several cases. In November, the father of the Highland Park mass shooter pleaded guilty to misdemeanor reckless conduct for his role in helping his troubled son submit an application to buy firearms. In December, the mother of a 6-year-old boy who shot his first grade teacher at a Virginia elementary school pleaded guilty to felony child neglect and was sentenced to two years in prison.
To some extent, the prosecutions of the Crumbley parents have eclipsed unanswered questions about the role and possible culpability of the Oxford school district. An independent investigation, long delayed, eventually found that the district failed to follow its own threat assessment policy. (As I reported previously, one egregious error was the failure by school officials to inquire proactively about access to guns once they grew alarmed about the perpetrator's behavior and state of mind.)
Prevention policies generally remain underemphasized and underfunded when it comes to reducing school shootings, even as threat assessment becomes more widely used in public schools.
"The horrific deadly shooting at Oxford High School in 2021 was preventable, and today's verdict sets important precedent moving forward that we hope leads to greater accountability and responsibility for parents and gun owners alike," said NextGen America vice president of communications Antonio Arellano in a statement.
"More than anything, this verdict proves our urgent need for better and stronger gun control policy," he asserted. "The Crumbleys should never have been able to acquire a gun for their 15-year-old son. The time for commonsense gun policies is now, and it starts with Congress taking decisive action to implement an assault weapon ban through legislative action."
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Ohio Woman Won't Be Charged After Miscarriage But 'This Doesn't Undo the Harm'
"Criminalizing a woman for miscarrying at home shouldn't have happened in the first place," said SisterSong. "Our fight for reproductive justice isn't over."
Jan 11, 2024
While welcoming that an Ohio woman who miscarried a nonviable fetus last year won't face a felony charge of abuse of a corpse, reproductive rights advocates on Thursday highlighted Brittany Watts' experience as further proof that, as Jane's Due Process put it, "pregnant people still live with the threat of prosecution in the current oppressive environment."
The Trumbull County grand jury's decision to not indict Watts—who miscarried at her Warren home in September at just over 21 weeks pregnant—comes after the 34-year-old's case garnered national attention amid battles over reproductive freedom that have ramped up in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's June 2022 ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization.
"Let's be clear that this doesn't undo the harm, and the case shouldn't have been pursued in the first place," the group Pregnancy Justice said after the grand jury's decision. "This is why advocacy matters. As long as prosecutors feel obligated to criminalize pregnancy, there will be more cases like Brittany's. When we fight collectively, we can win."
SisterSong similarly declared that "we're relieved Brittany Watts will NOT be criminalized for having a miscarriage. It's wild to us that we even have to say something like that, because... criminalizing a woman for miscarrying at home shouldn't have happened in the first place."
"Our fight for reproductive justice isn't over," the organization stressed. "We will continue to demand a world where we have the autonomy to make decisions about our bodies."
The Afiya Center pointed out that Black women like Watts face "a higher risk of maternal mortality and morbidity."
"Let’s be clear—Brittany Watts should never have been charged with a felony because of her pregnancy outcome," the center said. "The criminalization of Black folk who miscarry sets a dangerous tone and poses a threat to the health of ALL Black pregnant folk."
Watts and her attorney, Traci Timko, also emphasized the need for broader change on Thursday.
"From the start of this case, I have argued that the charge was not supported by Ohio law and that Brittany was being demonized for something that takes place in the privacy of women's homes regularly," Timko said in a statement. "No matter how shocking or disturbing it may sound when presented in a public forum, it is simply the devastating reality of miscarriage.”
"We thank the public for the outpouring of love and support Brittany received. To the countless women who reached out to share their own devastating stories of pregnancy loss—Brittany read every one of them and felt a sisterhood to each of you," the lawyer said. "The emails, letters, calls, donations, and prayers—they all played a part in empowering and getting her through each day. It is our hope and intention to make sure that Brittany's story is an impetus to change."
The Associated Pressreported that while speaking at a pre-planned event on Thursday, Watts said: "I want to thank my community—Warren. Warren, Ohio. I was born here. I was raised here. I graduated high school here, and I'm going to continue to stay here because I have to continue to fight."
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