David Dell’Aquila is the dissident NRA donor who has been working to dislodge Wayne LaPierre from his perch atop the National Rifle Association for almost two years now. He started a movement to get the Association’s big dollar donors to withhold their cash until the scandal-plagued Executive Vice President is gone.
Dell’Aquila claims his supporters have withheld more than $167 million in contributions to date.
Last year, Dell’Aquila filed a multi-million dollar lawsuit against LaPierre, the NRA and the NRA Foundation. The intent was to expand the lawsuit into a class action on behalf of all members and donors to the NRA.
The suit claims that the NRA told donors their money would be used for . . .
…gun safety education; to promote shooting sports and hunter safety; to foster wildlife conservation; and to protect gun ownership rights in the United States.
Instead, as media reports and discovery have revealed, a lot of that cash was used for other things. As the suit argued . . .
Defendants’ statements concerning the use of the solicited funds were materially false. In reality, the NRA used the solicited funds for alternative purposes, including without limitation, the following:
a. By spending over $97,000 per day for the legal services of William A. Brewer, III during the first quarter of 2019, without obtaining documentation justifying such expense.
b. By spending approximately $2 million per month for the legal services of the Brewer, over a thirteen-month period, without obtaining documentation justifying such expense.
c. By spending $274,695 for clothing purchases for Defendant LaPierre from a Beverly Hills clothing store, without reporting such expenses as income for LaPierre in the reports filed by the NRA with the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”).
d. By spending $243,644 on luxury travel for Defendant LaPierre to the Bahamas; Palm Beach; Los Angeles; Reno, Nevada; Budapest, Hungary; and Italy, without reporting such compensation as income for LaPierre in the reports filed by the NRA with the IRS.
e. By making inflated payments to the NRA’s advertising agency, Ackerman McQueen, without obtaining documentation justifying such expense.
f. By spending $5,446.16 per month for a luxury apartment for Megan Allen, an intern in Fairfax, Virginia.
g. By spending funds for a board meeting for the NRA, to be held in Alaska, rather than in Fairfax, Virginia.
h. By paying Defendant LaPierre an annual salary of $1.4 million
Those were the claims made when the suit was filed back in August of 2019. More has been revealed since.
Dell’Aquila and a few other NRA Life Members have sunk a lot of their own money into the legal effort. He told TTAG that according to the bankruptcy court’s scheduling order, a proof of claim for the class should be submitted by May 24, 2021. As a result, Dell’Aquila is taking steps to retain an experienced class action law firm at this time. That is not an inexpensive proposition.
Dell’Aquila sent the following message to all of the supporters of his effort, alerting them of the need to raise the funds needed to take the lawsuit to the next level and included a GoFundMe link . . .
Good Morning Friends and Patriots,
You have visited my website “RetireLaPierre” and know that I am doing all that I can for our members to restore the NRA to a credible organization that NOW more than ever, must to focus on fighting for our 2nd Amendment rights.
As you may know, the NRA bankruptcy proceedings are currently ongoing in Dallas. A summary of the trail can be found here plus much more info on this website – CAUTION – it is like going down a rabbit hole. https://nrawatch.org/case/nra-
Many disturbing revelations have been uncovered during the trial proceedings, including this gem that LaPierre kept secret from his senior deputies and the entire board his intent to file bankrupcy! https://www.nytimes.com/2021/
After the NRA filed for bankruptcy, I was appointed by the US Trustee to serve as a member of the Unsecured Creditors Committee. I serve on this committee to represent YOU so that we can preserve our NRA from its own self-inflicted wounds and destruction.
On behalf of our members, I have filed a class action suit with the intention of removing LaPierre and his cronies. My next critical step is to certify that class action suit.
It is not often that I ask for assistance and have been going at this alone (except for a few members) non-stop, virtually 24 x 7. If you so desire, please consider donating to the legal fund as described below in the GoFundMe link. The organizer is a fellow life-member who initiated the campaign to help defray legal expenses.
Thank you for your consideration.
Dave Dell’Aquila
![By Larry Keane President Joe Biden traveled to New York City for a media event to try and show America he’s doing something about rampant crime. Instead, he blamed the Second Amendment and lawful gun owners, said nothing about holding criminals to account and repeated the same tired lies about the firearm industry he keeps at the ready – lies “fact-checked” as being false each time he’s previously recited them. It makes no difference to the president. He’s not even trying anymore. To President Biden and national gun control groups the problem is always the gun and the law-abiding members of the industry. It’s never the criminal. Blaming the ‘Resistance’ President Biden was joined by U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Democratic New York City Mayor Eric Adams for a “Gun Violence Strategies Partnership” meeting to talk about how to solve the crime surge, particularly those involving firearms. Instead of real solutions, the focus devolved into blaming law-abiding gun owners and again pushing a gun control agenda. “Enough is enough,” President Biden said. “Because we know we can do things about this, but for the resistance, we’re getting from some sectors of the government and the Congress and the state legislatures, and the organizational structures out there.” That “resistance” the president spoke of is the American people. Over the past two years they’ve become fed up with police defunding policies and soft-on-crime prosecutors, like Manhattan’s Democratic District Attorney Alvin Bragg. They’ve invested in their own safety. The “resistance” is the 21 million lawful gun buyers in 2020, including more than 8.4 million first-time buyers, and the 18.5 million gun buyers in 2021, with more than 5.4 million first-timers. The ”resistance” has backstopped Congress from passing federal gun control that don’t address crime. It also stopped President Biden’s nominations of paid gun control lobbyist David Chipman to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and banking activist Saule Omarova as Comptroller of the Currency because not even all U.S. Senate Democrats could support them. They would have turned those agencies into bludgeons to hammer the firearm industry to achieve a special interest, gun control agenda. Favorite Falsehoods The president turned his aim from lawful gun owners towards the firearm industry and repeated a lie he’s rehearsed several times before. “Imagine had we had a liabil… [sic] they’re the only industry in America that is exempted from being able to be sued by the public. Only one,” the president protested. “Why the gun manufacturers?… It’s got to end. They’ve got to be held responsible for the things they do that are irresponsible.” He repeated the claim for emphasis. “And I find that outrageous.” This is flatly false. The president knows by now, or his speechwriters do and they don’t bother with the facts. CNN, Politicfact and Washington Post have all checked President Biden on his remark, including after he said it in the White House Rose Garden. CNN cleanly rebuked it. “This is false. Gun manufacturers are not entirely exempt from being sued, nor are they only industry with some liability protections.” Politifact rated it “false.” Washington Post wasn’t kinder, saying, “Biden is wrong to claim the gun industry is totally immune.” The firearm industry has liability protections under the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA), bipartisan legislation enacted under former President George W. Bush. The firearm industry cannot be held liable when unaffiliated third-parties, in this case criminals, misuse a legal, lawfully sold product. It’s fundamental tort law and is similar to an individual attempting to hold Ford and Budweiser responsible for drunk driving deaths. The law was passed in direct response to lawsuits filed against the industry by control groups and municipalities like the city of New York and the state of New York. These type of lawsuit continue to be filed, now even by foreign governments represented by the same gun control group, the Brady Center. Colonial-Era Error President Biden continued to ignore facts on the Second Amendment and its history. He even erred when speaking about the Revolution-era days and why the right to keep and bear arms was so sacrosanct. “When the amendment was passed, it didn’t say anybody could own a gun and any kind of gun and any kind of weapon,” President Biden remarked. “You couldn’t buy a cannon, and when – the – when this, uh, this amendment was passed.” It did, and does, say the right of the People “shall not be infringed.” Even The Washington Post was brutal in their assignment of “Four Pinocchio’s” to this statement. “Biden has already been fact-checked on this claim — and it’s been deemed false. We have no idea where he conjured up this notion about a ban on cannon ownership in the early days of the Republic, but he needs to stop making this claim.” In fact, the Constitution of early America – before the Bill of Rights, and Second Amendment, was even ratified – granted and encouraged “special waivers” to American merchants and sailors, “allowing private individuals to act as pirates on behalf of the United States against countries engaged in war with it.” Americans given waivers and who owned warships obviously also obtained cannons for use in battle. In fact, it is still perfectly legal to buy a cannon today. It is the presidents’ fundamental misunderstanding and blatant lying about the Second Amendment that informs his gun control agenda and misguided approach to solving the crime problem. Millions of law-abiding Americans took ownership of their Second Amendment rights to protect themselves, understanding the president won’t. Instead of mangling the meaning of the right and pushing for more gun control on law-abiding Americans, the president should keep it simple. Take on the criminals and punish them for breaking the law.](https://cdn-ilbhaoh.nitrocdn.com/bgKlmMbwrWXRONuqEtcbCEpELIavckvt/assets/images/optimized/rev-5059075/cdn0.thetruthaboutguns.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/download-26-218x150.jpeg "Harris is a Human Disinformation Campaign When It Comes to Guns")
It should be clear by now that NRA won’t reform by itself. If the litigation by NY State didn’t inspire the board to take responsibility for running the organization then nothing short of a court order will be sufficient. This litigation seem to be our best shot for the members to have a seat at the table in bankruptcy proceedings.
I am not a critic of NRA’s stances on legislation decades ago. I AM a critic of the board’s failure to correct mismanagement.
noble cause.
worthy.
Its in hope this reform will happen and strengthen the Association. My hope is the NRA will start an actual draw the line policy, after they and Trump stabbed us in the back with the bumbstock ban they havent got a dime from me.
James you and those like you with the bumpstock crybaby snot contributed the election of Jim Crow Gun Control joe. Never mind the fact that if POTUS DJT had not done something following Vegas chances were very good a knee jerk congress would have. And that means the Binary Triggers, etc. you see advertised on this forum would have been no more. Executive orders can be undone with a pen. Congressional actions are not so simple. In other words James…Your kind of knee jerk pasty mouth ignorance is what ushers in the likes of a joe biden. And you talk about back stabbing? Give me a break.
On the bright side of the coin the problems within the NRA has motivated the Do It For Me Crowd to get off their behinds and help pull the wagon. The downside is…If you do not know what you are talking about you can do more harm than good.
Are you saying that President Trump would have signed a bill banning binary triggers and more?
Didn’t really think that through, did you?
Guns weren’t the only issue on Trump’s plate at the time. Nor the highest priority for HIM.
I don’t think we would have benefited if Congress passed a bill covering not only bump-stocks but every other thing they could think of. There was a possibility that, in the heat of the moment, enough RINOs would have voted for the bill so that Congress might have over-ridden a veto.
Another possibility might have been that Congress might have attached a bump-stock+etc. bill to some other must-pass bill which Trump couldn’t afford to veto.
Politics in Washington is complex and our gun issues are not at the top of anyone’s priority list. My sense was, at the time, that Trump was probably doing gun rights a favor by an ATF rule-making that might be struck down rather than loosing a lot more if Congress were in the driver’s seat.
jwtaylor,
Congress doesn’t always need the consent of the President. They actually came together to override Trump’s veto just recently because priorities…
“Another possibility might have been that Congress might have attached a bump-stock+etc. bill to some other must-pass bill which Trump couldn’t afford to veto.”
Another possibility might have been that a copycat nut used a bump stock to wipe out another large crowd. What do you think would happen then? There was no easy solution. I’m not saying it was right. At a minimum, even with a rule change, every person and business should be very well compensated. Aside from violating other rights, the government can’t be allowed to suddenly change rules that put people out of business.
Dude,
You think Trump was so weak that he would have been rolled over by a super majority for a bill that didn’t even exist? In a majority Republican senate?
I’m saying I wouldn’t put it past those cowards. They had no problem joining Democrats to override Trump. People love to bash Trump, but they keep voting for the same ‘ole do nothing worthwhile cowardly Republicans that hide under the nearest table when someone says racist or white supremacist.
Trump made FineStain wee wee her panties in joy by telling her to do the deed first and worry about due process later….paraphrased. He lied to NRA members at three Conventions…..failing us on HPA, Reciprocity,….. Tump was/is a 2A quack. Acceptable o nly as the lesser of two evils, as America always faces. But, with the perfection of voter fraud as of November, 2020, there won’t have to be two choices in reality any more.
“failing us on HPA, Reciprocity”
You mean Trump didn’t sign the bills Congress put on his desk? It’s hilarious how Trump is the whipping boy when he was only in government for four years. How long has McConnell been in? Paul Ryan? You’ll notice how aggressive a Democrat majority Congress goes after legislation with Puppet Joe in the White House. Why didn’t Ryan and McConnell do that? Ryan and McConnell wouldn’t even work with Trump on the wall or immigration reform. Ryan told Trump they would work on funding the wall as soon as they got their tax reform passed. Once he got his tax reform, Ryan said So long suckers!! He announced his retirement but didn’t step aside in his leadership role. He stayed for the purpose of blocking the Trump agenda. But you guys keep dutifully voting R in the general and complain about the only person that was willing to call out the losers on both sides of the aisle that were sending this country into the toilet.
Somehow, you manage to single handedly reduce the average IQ of commenters on this website by 30 points.
James. You make a good point. The bumpstock ban was a stab on our back. That’s when I stopped giving to the NRA also. And since then the NRA has found even more ways to burn through money of the idiots. And don’t pay any attention to the personal attack from Mr. Debbie, he can’t put together a rational argument to your points so he resorts to name calling as any 5th grader would.
“James” and Striker fired would have preferred to be stabbed in the front by Hillary. Cry me a river… Here’s the rational argument part Striker: Prez Hillary would have banned everything she could after the Las Vegas shooting. The NRA doesn’t exactly have a wonderful track record. You guys were the only two that were shocked by that.
Dude where did you come up with Hillary from my or James’ comment? You must wet dream about her every night. Keep giving the NRA your money they need your money badly.
Striker, I don’t know if you were halfway paying attention in 2016, but Hillary was the alternative to Trump. So if it wasn’t Orange Man Bad, then it would have been Hillary. Why do I have to explain that to you? Also please quote where I have ever said that I gave the NRA money. That’s right, I didn’t. I didn’t even take up for them. I said they didn’t have a great record. Where’s your “rational argument” Striker? You don’t have one. You can’t even read and comprehend a simple comment.
Well I always knew that LaPierre and his cronies were corrupt A.F. but actually solid numbers now is nice.
Personally I’m starting to think it might be time to completely close down the NRA and slit the resources between the GOA and the SAF. AS I understand it LaPierre has already written riders in the bylaws of the organization that gives him a perpetual payout even if he’s thrown out of the org. From the sound of this case the entire organization might be riddled with back door deals and illiterate payout schems.
That is why I support the criminal prosecution of WLP and the board. They will automatically be forbidden to receive payments from any criminal actions. If they are found guilty.
Then we can sue them like the parents of Ronald Goldman sued JO Simpson.
At this point I support the NY AG in her efforts to send WLP and the NRA board members to jail. The NRA has become their personal piggy bank. These “white collar” criminals think they are untouchable. The NRA is damaged goods. Good luck to Mr. Dellaquila. Criminals who believe they are untouchable will not leave easily.
WLP isn’t a one-man show. He has a long list of enablers that will have to be purged.
Does anyone know whether Del’Aquilla is a bonafide pro 2A advocate, or is he a possible agent of those who wish to destroy the NRA on the basis of their effective advocacy rather than truly on a quest to root out corruption? This is not meant to be a provocative question. I’m genuinely curious to know if anyone here is close enough to the situation to know and inform the rest of us.
+1
Bingo Hank.
I suspect a prog con.
I can assure you, Dave is pro-second amendment guy. There was a rally in DC in November 2019. Guess who started it and sponsored it – Dell’Aquila.
If you think he is an “agent,” I suggest you do some research before you make such an accusation.
Hank gives his wife a little under an inch every time they attempt coitus.
$100 donated yesterday when I received the email.
Good to see David Dell’Aquila’s request for donations appear here!
And all you still giving $$$ to keep Wayne LaPayMe! living in princely style, last I heard the crooked thief couldn’t hit the broadside of an elephant from point blank range. After shooting the elephant three times, the safari guide had no choice but to step in to put one shot where it needed to be.
You’d think with all those NRA member dollars old Wayne could afford shooting lessons.
Until Mr. Lapierre sends me an individual letter of apology for his actions taken, I will not renew my membership ever again. Clearly Mr. Lapierre has acted singuloin his actions and he must be held accountable for those including restitution to the NRA for his unexplained or approved indulgences. My regret is that I paid for a multi year membership with this douche bag still steering the ship.
Which of you snowflakes PERSONNALY knows this David Dell’Aquila gy? And what he stands for and who is paying him. Rule #1 – EVERYTHING the left says is a lie. Rule #2 – see rule #1. You can trust NOTHING they say.
The only thing I know FOR SURE is that the progs LOVE this SOB, and anyone else, that damages the NRA. There is NOTHING the DC progs have feared over my lifetime for more than the NRA. They have made significant progress in the last 2yr with their objective to destroy it. And the whining do nothing types, as here, are their allies.
The Left pretends to be against the NRA because evil gunz, but really they’re trying to eliminate any organization that has a track record of raising money for their political enemies.
I haven’t given a dime to the NRA for a pair of decades because of La Pierre and his shenanigans. I’m not sure how I feel about finding out he’s been worse than I even imagined!
Wayne voted for theBiden.
I want a refund or a $2000 suit I can stuff and take to the range!
Like I used to tell my kids, wanting ain’t getting.
It looks like Wayne may have some trouble putting down this elephant too.
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