A New York judge will begin considering remedies on Monday against the National Rifle Association (NRA) and some of its former leaders, months after a jury found the gun rights group and its executives liable in a civil corruption trial.

In this second phase of the trial, State Supreme Court Judge Joel Cohen will determine whether to appoint an independent monitor to oversee the NRA for three years and whether to permanently bar former NRA executive Wayne LaPierre from returning to lead the organization or any of its affiliates.

In February, a jury concluded that LaPierre, 74, diverted millions of dollars away from the NRA to fund a luxurious lifestyle, while the organization failed to properly manage its finances and adopt a whistleblower policy. This diversion of funds resulted in significant financial harm to the organization, which was founded in 1871 and has operated as a nonprofit charitable corporation in New York.

The case was initiated by a lawsuit filed in 2020 by New York Attorney General Letitia James. The lawsuit accused LaPierre and other current and former NRA executives of flouting state laws and internal policies to enrich themselves.

The jury found that LaPierre violated his statutory obligation to discharge the duties of his position in good faith, as did John Frazer, the group’s current corporate secretary and former general counsel, and Wilson “Woody” Phillips, the NRA’s former treasurer and chief financial officer. Joshua Powell, a former chief of staff and executive director of general operations, was also a defendant. However, Powell reached a settlement with the attorney general’s office before the trial began.

During the trial, James’ attorneys portrayed the NRA as “Wayne’s World,” filled with free private jets, expensive meals, travel consultants, private security, and trips to the Bahamas for LaPierre and his family. Jurors determined that LaPierre caused $5.4 million in monetary harm to the NRA, but he has already repaid at least $1 million of that amount. Phillips caused $2 million in monetary harm to the NRA, while Frazer was found not to have caused any monetary harm to the group.

Frazer is the only individual defendant who still works for the NRA. Although the jury found that he made or authorized a false statement in the NRA’s annual filings, they did not find cause to remove him from his position.

However, the jury found cause for LaPierre’s removal from the NRA. LaPierre had served as the NRA’s CEO and executive vice president for more than 30 years before he announced his resignation at the beginning of January, citing health issues, just days before the trial commenced.

Attorneys for the defendants filed motions to set the jury verdict aside, but Judge Cohen denied those requests in June. Cohen has set aside two weeks for the latest court proceedings to determine whether to award non-monetary relief.

In an appeal, LaPierre’s attorney, P. Kent Correll, challenged the remedy proposed by the attorney general that seeks to permanently bar LaPierre from serving the NRA or any of its affiliated entities. Correll argued that such a measure would censor LaPierre, adding that his client does not reside in New York and should be free to associate with whomever he chooses without government interference. “He’s paid the price. He’s retired. He’s not coming back,” Correll stated during oral arguments in June, according to a court transcript. “But he does want to keep his right to associate freely with whomever he wants and to speak freely.”

Earlier this week, the parties announced a stipulation agreement on the appropriate remedy for Phillips, removing him from the trial’s second phase. Phillips, who is retired, will be prohibited from holding fiduciary positions with any New York nonprofit for ten years. After a decade, he can resume serving if he first notifies the attorney general’s office and completes a training program. He will still have to pay $2 million in damages, as stipulated by the attorney general.

The attorney general also proposed imposing restrictions on Frazer and requiring him to undergo training. “New Yorkers deserve to know that when they support a not-for-profit, those donations are being used to advance its mission, not squandered on lavish perks for staff or cronies,” James said.

Attorneys for LaPierre, Phillips, and Frazer did not respond to requests for comment. In a statement to NBC News, NRA counsel William A. Brewer III asserted that the attorney general cannot show that the NRA has continued violating any laws. “Therefore,” he stated, “the relief the NYAG seeks in the form of a monitor is unwarranted.”

The NRA said it has terminated those who took advantage of the group and has ushered in a fresh slate of leaders, including a new chief compliance officer, an internal auditor, and a new president. In May, the organization replaced Frazer with a new general counsel, although he was re-elected to serve as corporate secretary, the NRA said.

NRA membership dues and contributions have drastically fallen in recent years, as reflected in court records. Dues plummeted from about $170 million in 2018 to nearly $62 million in 2023, according to a court exhibit containing the NRA’s audited financial statements. Contributions were nearly cut in half during the same time frame. The NRA attributed this decline directly to the attorney general's lawsuit.

“Our adversaries have been predicting the demise of the NRA for decades,” NRA spokesperson Andrew Arulanandam said. “We are still here after a protracted and politically motivated attack against us by the New York Attorney General and gun control groups.”

Gun safety advocates argue that the corruption trial has highlighted the need for external intervention to hold the NRA accountable and re-establish trust with its members and donors. “It is imperative that their corrupt behavior be checked by the court,” stated Emma Brown, executive director of the gun control advocacy organization Giffords.

While LaPierre may be gone, some longstanding directors and officers remain in leadership, said Nick Suplina, the senior vice president for law and policy at Everytown for Gun Safety, a national gun violence prevention nonprofit. “The NRA can’t be allowed to play by its own rulebook,” he asserted.