Head of NRA reportedly under investigation by IRS over personal taxes

Wayne LaPierre charged in August in civil suit over unclaimed benefits

The longtime head of the National Rifle Association is allegedly under investigation by the Internal Revenue Service for possible tax fraud, according to reports. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

The longtime head of the National Rifle Association is reportedly under investigation by the Internal Revenue Service for possible tax fraud, according to reports.

Wayne LaPierre, the CEO of the NRA, is having his personal finances probed by the IRS, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Mr LaPierre was paid $2.2m by the NRA in 2018 and in August was charged in a civil suit by the state of New York of taking millions of dollars of unclaimed compensation from the NRA and vendors.

An attorney for Mr LaPierre had no immediate comment, the Journal reported.

New York State Attorney General Letitia James says these benefits included exotic vacations, free yacht trips and private jet rides for his family.

“The NRA is not aware of any IRS inquiry but, of course, will fully cooperate with any appropriate requests for assistance,” said William A Brewer III, a lawyer for the gun rights group.

Mr LaPierre, 70, has run the NRA for nearly 30 years and shaped it into a powerful second amendment lobbying group.

Accusations about Mr LaPierre’s expenses began to emerge in 2019 with leaked documents showing he charged $540,000 on clothing at a store in Beverly Hills, California, to the group’s advertising firm.

He also sent them the bill for trips to Europe and the Bahamas.

The NRA has said that the clothing and travel were legitimate business expenses.

Mr LaPierre has testified in the New York case that he did not disclose trips on luxury yachts or private jet use for security reasons.