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A key National Rifle Association donor stands ready to challenge key aspects of the gun group’s bankruptcy filing to hold executives accountable for allegedly cheating on their members with millions of dollars in support of their own lavish lifestyles.
Dave Dell’Aquila, a former head of a tech company that donated more than $ 100,000 to the NRA, told the Guardian on Saturday that he was preparing to file a complaint with the US bankruptcy court in Dallas, Texas. If successful, it could prevent top NRA executives from paying a significant portion of the organization’s debt.
It could also stop Wayne LaPierre, the controversial longtime chairman of the NRA, and avoid ongoing lawsuits claiming he cheated on members of the Pro Gun group for luxury travel to the Bahamas and Europe, as well as quality Zegna- Pay suits.
LaPierre has denied the allegations of financial inappropriateness, insisting in a letter to NRA members that the group is “well governed, financially solvent and committed to good governance”.
Dell’Aquila’s complaint, which is expected to be filed in the next several weeks, would use a provision of the bankruptcy code to prevent the NRA from evading more than $ 60 million in debt for reasons that were not properly arose. The law provides that debts acquired through misconduct can be viewed by the court as an exception to insolvency rules.
Dell’Aquila said of his home in Nashville, Tennessee: “We intend to invoke this determination. We will ask the judge to determine that our claim was due to fraud and should not be considered exculpable. “
The NRA filed for bankruptcy in Dallas court on Friday. The organization also said it would be moving to Texas from New York, where it was founded in 1871.
After filing Chapter 11, LaPierre admitted that the move was aimed at freeing the NRAs from lawsuits that threaten their very existence. In August, New York Attorney General Letitia James sued the NRA to shut it down. She claimed her leaders used her as a “personal piggy bank” and illegally diverted $ 64 million for their own use.
LaPierre claims civil lawsuit was politically motivated. On Friday, he said filing for bankruptcy and moving to Texas was a way to “drain New York. The NRA aims to reintegrate into a state that values the contributions of the NRA. “
Dell’Aquila told the Guardian the move was predictable.
“I think they planned this all along,” he said. “It was always an ace they wanted to play. It is only tragic that the NRA wasted millions of dollars in member money on legal fees and these types of litigation. It’s embarrassing. “
A year before the New York lawsuit, Dell’Aquila brought its own class action lawsuit against NRA executives on behalf of the organization’s 5.2 million members. In that lawsuit, he shared how he donated $ 100,000 because he thought it would help wildlife protection and advocate for the second amendment.
Based on details uncovered by former NRA President Oliver North, Dell’Aquila claimed that “LaPierre received hundreds of thousands of dollars in clothing, private jet travel and other benefits.”
The suit shows $ 243,644 for luxury travel to the Bahamas, Palm Beach and Italy, and $ 274,695 for clothing stores in Beverly Hills.
The NRA tried to dismiss the civil suit, arguing that Dell’Aquila had no right to bring the lawsuit. However, the judge allowed the case to go ahead with the solicitation of donations in relation to individual fraud cases of the NRA leaders.
In November, the Wall Street Journal reported that the NRA had admitted current and former executives had received inappropriate or excessive benefits of at least $ 1.4 million. The disclosure was made in tax returns.
Dell’Aquila’s lawsuit has been suspended pending bankruptcy proceedings. He hopes that by filing his new complaint, he will be able to keep at least the $ 64 million alleged in the New York lawsuit out of the bankruptcy business, thus keeping LaPierre and other executives on fire.
“With Wayne as an executive, nothing has changed in 30 years,” he said. “The NRA is still an old boys club that does business in the back room and does not hold account to the 5.2 million members who pay for everything. It has to stop. “
The New York attorney general has also vowed to fight to ensure that NRA leaders do not escape the legal ramifications of their actions.
“We will not allow the NRA to use this tactic or any other tactic to evade the accountability and oversight of my office,” said James after the bankruptcy filing was announced.