Brian Lear on WNYC.

Like with Donald Trump, could the influence of the National Rifle Association

be curbed in court because of corrupt activities rather than just in the political

sector, a civil corruption trial of activities rather than just in the political sector.

A civil corruption trial of the National Rifle Association's top executives

began on Monday in New York.

Attorney General Letitia James has accused top NRA leaders of misusing more

than $64 million in cash donated by its members. The lawsuit claims the funds were used to pay

for private jets, vacations, and to fund no-show jobs for friends and allies, according to reporting from NPR citing the charge.

Wayne La Pierre, the longtime leader of the NRA, is one of the high profile defendants in the case.

He announced his resignation from the NRA just last Friday in advance of the beginning of the trial.

Over the next six weeks or so, Justice Joel Cohn of the Supreme Court of the state of New York

and a jury will decide the fate of the is Stephen Kedowski, founder of the reloaded an independent publication focused on firearms policy and politics.

Stephen, thanks for joining us today. Welcome to WNYC.

Hey, thank you for having me.

You write the Civil Suit from New York Attorney General Letitia James alleges

misappropriation of funds on a grand scale by the group's leadership.

What does A.G. James want if she proves her case?

Well, initially she wanted to dissolve the NRA altogether,

but that was taken off the table by the judge.

And so now she's asking for a court overseer to be appointed and for

leadership to be barred from ever working at a nonprofit in the state of New York

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