Another N.R.A. contractor, Ackerman McQueen, bought Mr. LaPierre’s wife, Susan, a MacBook Pro, an iPad Pro and an iPod, evidence showed. Mr. LaPierre also billed the organization for a number of pricey gifts, including a $1,260 handbag and $860 in candlesticks for the McKenzies. He charged more than $250,000 to a clothing boutique in Beverly Hills, Calif., over several years, and even billed the N.R.A. $800 a year for mosquito treatment in his backyard.
Mr. LaPierre is being tried along with the N.R.A. itself and two other co-defendants: John Frazer, the organization’s general counsel, and Wilson Phillips, a former finance chief. The case stems from a 2020 lawsuit brought by the New York attorney general, Letitia James, who has jurisdiction over the N.R.A. because it is a nonprofit organization that was founded in New York in 1871.
Ms. James is seeking financial penalties and to bar the defendants from working for the N.R.A. or any other nonprofit that operates in the state. She already achieved one of her main goals when Mr. LaPierre, 74, announced his resignation on the eve of the trial, effective Jan. 31, citing health reasons.
His testimony has been complicated by those health issues. Last week, his lawyer, P. Kent Correll, asked that Mr. LaPierre’s testimony be limited, or even interrupted, if he was feeling unwell. A recent filing from his doctor said that Mr. LaPierre was suffering from Lyme disease and “cognitive decline with difficulty performing daily tasks” and that he had “a family history of Alzheimer’s disease.”
During his testimony Friday, the typically loquacious Mr. LaPierre kept his answers short, often to just “yes” or “no.” Twice within the first 15 minutes, Jonathan Conley, an assistant attorney general, pointed out that his testimony was contradicted by previous depositions.
