Former NRA Leader Wayne LaPierre arrives for his civil trial at New York State Supreme Court on January 08, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — An appellate court in New York has upheld a $4.3 million judgment imposed on former National Rifle Association CEO Wayne LaPierre after he was found liable of misappropriating money.
The Appellate Division’s First Department also upheld the prohibition on LaPierre from holding a position as an officer or director of the NRA for 10 years.
“The 10-year ban does not burden LaPierre’s rights to freedom of speech and association, as he remains a member of the NRA and is not precluded from making any public statements or involving himself in fundraising or other outreach,” the opinion said. “Neither does the monetary restitution amount constitute a fine. Instead, it serves the remedial purpose of reimbursing the NRA for the losses LaPierre caused, making it compensatory in nature.”
The decision is a victory for New York Attorney General Letitia James, who sued the NRA, LaPierre and other current and former officers for self-dealing, alleging they violated New York charities laws by mismanaging the NRA’s funds.
The lawsuit was filed in 2020, claiming they misappropriated millions of dollars to fund personal benefits — including private jets, family vacations and luxury goods. The accusations came at the end of a three-year investigation into the NRA, which is registered in New York as a nonprofit charitable corporation.
“Wayne LaPierre and other senior NRA leaders broke the law by funneling millions of dollars in lavish perks to themselves and their families,” James said in a statement celebrating the appeals court decision.
“This decision upholds the jury’s verdict and is another victory in our efforts to ensure that LaPierre is held accountable for his illegal self-dealing,” James said.
LaPierre argued James brought the case against him in retaliation for his speech advocating for gun rights, but the court rejected that, writing the “Attorney General ‘showed as a matter of law that it had probable cause to investigate and sue,’ since ‘public reports of malfeasance at the NRA predated the investigation’ and the investigation uncovered ample evidence of malfeasance.”
LaPierre announced his resignation from the organization in January 2024, days before the start of the trial, citing health reasons, according to the NRA.
After five days of deliberations, a jury in New York in February 2024 held the NRA liable for financial mismanagement and found that LaPierre corruptly ran the nation’s most prominent gun rights group.
Federal authorities say this explosive device was found at a TSA checkpoint at the Sacramento International Airport on May 30, 2026. (TSA)
(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) — A man was arrested and faces a federal charge after an explosive device was allegedly found in his carry-on bag at a California airport, federal authorities said.
Kimani Osayande Jones, 49, was detained at the Sacramento International Airport on Saturday after attempting to go through a security checkpoint, according to the Transportation Security Administration.
Jones was “wearing a scarf covering his face and latex gloves on his hands” at the time, TSA said in a press release on Wednesday.
In his carry-on bag, he had an M-type explosive device — meaning an improvised explosive — and a “torch lighter capable of lighting the explosive,” TSA said.
His carry-on bag also contained a knife, scissors, scissor blades, an aerosol can and zip ties, according to an affidavit in support of the complaint.
He was traveling with five cellphones, one of which had a 15-minute timer ready to start and another with a message from an unidentified number on the screen stating, “we will be awaiting your call,” according to the affidavit.
Bomb technicians safely removed the device, and upon further examination, its powder and fuse were found to be “viable and energetic,” TSA said. If it had detonated mid-air near a window on a plane, the device had the “potential to damage the aircraft and cause a possible loss of cabin pressure,” the agency said.
Jones, of Sacramento, has been federally charged with unlawful possession of explosive material at an airport. If convicted, he faces five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
He is being held without bail at the Sacramento County Jail on a federal hold, online jail records show. Online court records do not list any future court dates or any attorney information for him.
Jones’ luggage was also screened at the airport prior to being loaded onto an American Airlines flight headed to Charlotte, North Carolina, and did not trigger anything suspicious, according to the affidavit. Upon arrival in Charlotte, a search of his bag and an inspection of all luggage from the plane using specialized canines found nothing concerning, it said.
According to the affidavit, local authorities had prior contact with Jones, who “had a history of being paranoid.” A man believed to be Jones had previously reached out to the FBI tip line 13 times this year, including the day of his arrest, to report that he was being threatened and intimidated, according to the filing.
Justin Sholly seen in this undated police handout. (Montgomery County District Attorney)
(SOUDERTON, Pa.) — A volunteer firefighter has been arrested for allegedly setting fires and then responding to them with his fire department, according to officials in eastern Pennsylvania.
Justin Sholly, a 29-year-old member of the Perseverance Volunteer Fire Company in Souderton, was arrested on Sunday on charges including arson, according to court documents.
The first fire was Friday morning, when the Perseverance Volunteer Fire Company and other agencies responded to a fire at a detached garage/barn, according to the criminal complaint. The blaze was about 50 feet behind a home that had 10 people inside, the complaint said.
Hours later, the Perseverance Volunteer Fire Company responded to a trash fire, the complaint said.
Then early Saturday morning, crews responded to a property where there were multiple fires coming from a barn, a shed, an outhouse, three cars and a gazebo, according to the complaint. The fires were near a home with eight people inside, the document said.
Investigators used license plate reader databases to zero in on Sholly as a suspect, according to the criminal complaint.
Sholly admitted to setting all three fires, according to the court documents. After two of the blazes, Sholly went to his fire department and then responded back to the fire scenes with the other firefighters, documents said.
Sholly said one of the fires was near property he believed belonged to an employer who fired him in 2015, the complaint said.
The Perseverance Volunteer Fire Company said Sholly has been suspended from the department “with intent to remove upon future outcomes.”
“The actions described in the criminal charges stand in complete opposition to the core values, mission, and dedication of our company,” the fire department said in a statement on Tuesday.
Yellow police tape says “police line do not cross” is set against blurry background. (Sheila Paras/Getty Images)
(BAKERSFIELD, Calif) — All hostages have been released, and a suspect is confirmed dead on Wednesday after an hours-long standoff at a bank in California, sources told ABC News.
The standoff began after a reported bomb threat at a bank in California. Two hostages were first released after hours of ongoing negotiations with a suspect, according to authorities.
The bomb threat was reported at a Chase Bank building in downtown Bakersfield around 1 p.m. local time Tuesday, police said.
An unidentified man entered the bank and was “barricaded” with an unknown number of people inside, Bakersfield Police Department Sgt. Eric Celedon told reporters earlier.
“We remain on scene at the Chase Bank building and have negotiated the release of a second hostage,” Bakersfield police said in an update on social media, shortly after 9 p.m. local time. “There are currently no injuries reported.”
Crisis negotiators were in contact with the individual over the phone, according to police. Celedon said authorities have not confirmed if there is a bomb.
The FBI and Department of Homeland Security are assisting, and other resources are coming in from throughout the state, police said.
Several buildings in the surrounding area were evacuated, police said. The Chase Bank is located at Chester Avenue and 17th Street.
“This is a very active scene,” Celedon said Tuesday while urging people to avoid the area.
“Every single resource is at this site’s disposal — SWAT team, bomb squad, K9 team, gang unit, negotiators, drone team — every single asset we have to bring this to the safest conclusion is out here right now.”
Signage for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) headquarters is seen, April 2, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
(VIRGINIA) — Two Honduran immigrant children have been unlawfully detained at a youth facility in Virginia for more than 300 days, the American Civil Liberties Union alleged in a lawsuit filed on Tuesday.
According to the complaint, the two siblings — a 16-year-old boy and a 15-year-old girl who lawyers say both fled gang violence in Honduras — have remained in the custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) despite “the existence of a fully vetted and approved sponsor.”
The lawsuit alleges that the government agency, which operates under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, has “repeatedly delayed reunification through shifting technical and immaterial objections to sponsorship paperwork.”
According to the complaint, a close family friend stepped forward to sponsor them upon their arrival in U.S. in July 2025. By October 2025, federal officials had allegedly completed a positive home study and background checks, and recorded that “no documents are pending” in the case.
But instead of releasing the children, government officials “repeatedly” reopened the sponsorship process over minor clerical details, the lawsuit alleges.
The minors are being detained at Youth For Tomorrow, a Christian-based organization that provided services to unaccompanied migrant children. The ACLU said in the complaint that the delays in processing sponsor paperwork “are part of an escalating pattern” by the Office of Refugee Resettlement “to prevent children from being released.”
The two siblings, according to the lawsuit, have “documented educational accommodation plans and require specialized educational and developmental services” that they are not receiving while in custody.
A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services told ABC News that the Office of Refugee Resettlement does not comment on active litigation. Youth For Tomorrow did not respond to a request for comment from ABC News.
The lawsuit comes as the average stay for unaccompanied minors in ORR custody has grown from 30 days in 2024 to 117 days in 2025 under the Trump administration’s ongoing immigration crackdown.
“ORR is choosing chaos and confusion for the children in its care over safety and stability,” Sophia Gregg, an attorney with the ACLU of Virginia, said in a statement. “ORR is tasked with facilitating the safe and speedy release of unaccompanied children in its care, but instead of following the law, it’s choosing to advance the Trump administration’s cruel, anti-immigrant agenda and causing irreparable harm to children in the process.”
Harris County Sheriff’s Office Patrol Bureau Major Earl Dean speaks to reporters after a man and his girlfriend were found dead in a murder-suicide after an hours-long standoff with police. (Harris County Sheriff’s Office)
(HOUSTON) — A man and woman were found dead in a Houston apartment after an hours-long standoff with the sheriff’s department, according to officials.
A 20-year-old woman and the 23-year-old suspect were found dead in the apartment, Harris County Sheriff’s Department Patrol Bureau Maj. Earl Dean said at a press conference on Monday.
Deputies received a report of man “frantic” on his phone just before 2 p.m. Monday, saying he “accidentally shot his girlfriend,” Dean said.
At the scene, deputies made contact with the man, who refused to obey their commands and threatened to kill himself. The man then barricaded himself inside the apartment, Dean said.
Deputies contacted additional resources and a SWAT team took over the scene, according to Dean.
After several hours of the crisis negotiation team talking to the man, trying to get him to surrender, the man refused all commands, Dean said.
“At one point we did deploy gas into the apartment complex. The male retreated onto the balcony where he suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound,” Dean said.
“This is very unfortunate,” Dean said.
No deputies discharged their weapons during the incident, according to Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.
The circumstances surrounding both deaths remain under investigation. There is no ongoing threat to the public, Gonzalez said.
A protester speaks to the police using a megaphone near the Delaney Hall detention center on May 31, 2026 in Newark, New Jersey. Mayor Ras Baraka of Newark has ordered a mandatory curfew surrounding Delaney Hall from 9 PM Saturday until 6 AM Sunday. (Photo by Andres Kudacki/Getty Images)
(NEWARK, N.J.) — New Jersey officials are pursuing legal avenues to get to the bottom of allegations of poor conditions at Delaney Hall in Newark, including threatening to sue to shut down the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility if state health inspectors are not allowed to examine it.
The city of Newark already filed a lawsuit in April 2025 against the GEO Group, the private company contracted by ICE to run the facility, alleging that the company made modifications to Delaney Hall to prepare it for use as a detention facility without required state oversight. However, Mayor Ras Baraka and city leaders said Tuesday that they will expand that litigation to call for the facility’s closure if state health inspectors aren’t given full access.
New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport and Gov. Mikie Sherrill also announced Tuesday that the state has filed suit against the GEO Group, asking the state superior court to order the company to allow state health inspectors access.
Protests and an alleged hunger strike have been ongoing since May 22 after reports alleged the 300 inmates inside the ICE detention center have been poorly fed, are not receiving proper medical care and are being held in poor conditions.
“If the GEO Group – with a $1 billion government contract – has nothing to hide and the conditions inside Delaney Hall are as safe and as sanitary as this private corporation and the Trump Administration claim, then there is no legitimate reason why my health inspectors are being kept from full access throughout the building,” Sherrill said in a statement Tuesday announcing the state’s suit.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) responded to the attorney general’s suit with a statement on X Tuesday, calling it “frivolous.”
“ICE is committed to transparency, and Delaney Hall complies with all required state and local laws,” DHS said, in part. “ICE is regularly audited and inspected by external agencies. All detainees are provided with proper meals, quality water, blankets, medical treatment, and have opportunities to communicate with their family members and lawyers.”
The GEO Group did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment about Baraka’s announcement and the state’s lawsuit.
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin has previously said that the reports of the poor conditions are untrue.
Baraka said Tuesday during a news conference outside of Delaney Hall that the alleged conditions inside the detention center were “inhumane” and that action needed to be taken. There was a report that alleged one of the inmates suffered a miscarriage and was not given proper care, according to the mayor.
“It’s troubling, which forces us to expand our lawsuit against Delaney Hall,” Baraka said.
Eric Pennington, Newark’s business administrator, told reporters Tuesday that the city asked the GEO Group to allow health inspectors to check the facility.
Sherrill said last week that inspectors from the state Department of Health visited Delaney Hall on May 28 but were “denied full access” and “allowed to inspect only a limited part of the facility.”
The New Jersey Attorney General’s office further said in Tuesday’s lawsuit announcement that the health inspectors were “barred from inspecting crucial areas of the facility, including the medical unit, sleeping areas, and bathing and toileting areas.”
Pennington said Tuesday that the city will use their legal options to get the inspectors inside.
“If they don’t allow us in, we, along with partners who are out here to protect the individuals inside, they will join our lawsuit, along with the state Health Department, to join to have this facility shut down until it can be inspected and ensured it is safe for the individuals who are in there,” he said.
“We are awaiting GEO Group’s response now and we expect to go to the court in the next day or two to continue the existing lawsuit,” Pennington added.
Davenport’s suit seeks an expedited injunction that directs the GEO Group to allow inspectors inside, according to court documents.
“The reports of unsanitary and unsafe conditions inside Delaney Hall are extremely concerning, and GEO Group – like any other business and facility in New Jersey – must follow the law,” Davenport said in Tuesday’s announcement.
Several elected officials have visited the facility since the protests began and claimed they have seen the poor conditions firsthand.
Federal and state law enforcement agents have clashed with protesters on numerous days, with federal officers in some instances firing tear gas and using batons. Several people have been arrested, some of whom were accused of assaulting federal officers.
Sherrill and other New Jersey Democrats have criticized the federal government for their response and actions against the protesters and have called on everyone to lower the temperature.
A curfew was enforced outside the facility starting Sunday night.
Baraka, who said Tuesday that he had spoken with protesters, said that there were no arrests made Monday night but that the curfew would continue for at least one more day.
Limited visitation privileges were restored Sunday following a request by the governor.
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
(LAS VEGAS) — Prosecutors in Nevada said they’re looking to try the teenage girl accused of stabbing three horses in adult court.
Officers responded to a barn in Las Vegas early Saturday and found three horses “intentionally injured with a sharp object,” Las Vegas police said.
A teenage girl who was in Las Vegas for an equestrian competition was identified as a possible suspect, according to police and the National Barrel Horse Association. She allegedly had access to the barn and authorities believe she may have used a knife to wound the horses, police said.
The horses’ injuries were not life-threatening, but they were expected to keep the animals from competing at this weekend’s event, police said in a statement.
The teen, who was at a nearby hotel, was taken into custody and booked for 12 counts of willful/malicious kill/maim/torture animal — horse and three counts of felony malicious destruction of private property over $5,000, police said.
The Clark County District Attorney’s office said Tuesday that it wants the teen charged in adult court and said it’s “reviewing the matter to determine what charges to file which may include willful or malicious torture, maiming, or killing of an animal and felony malicious destruction of property.”
“These allegations involve deliberate acts of extreme cruelty against defenseless animals and have had a significant impact on the victims, the owners, and the broader equestrian community,” Clark County DA Steve Wolfson said in a statement.
The teen is next due in court on Thursday. A separate hearing will be scheduled for a judge to determine if the case should be moved to adult court, the DA’s office said.
The suspect was a competitor in the NBHA’s Professional’s Choice Vegas Super Show this weekend, according to the organization.
“The situation was addressed immediately in coordination with the National Barrel Horse Association, the South Point Hotel & Casino Security, Metro Police, and all appropriate parties,” the NBHA said in a statement.
“All appropriate steps have been taken to ensure the well-being of all horses,” the organization added.
The owner of one of the injured horses spoke out in a statement to ABC News, saying, “this situation is absolutely devastating.”
“To see [my horse] Detail who is my entire world and my best friend, in so much pain, helpless and injured,” said the owner, who did not want to be named.
The owner alleged that the teenage suspect follows her on social media and “has made comments and attempts about trying to meet me and Detail at last year’s NBHA Supershow.”
“This year she happened to be in the same warmup pen at the same time as me and officially met me and Detail. This was one night before the stabbing,” the owner said. “She made comments on Detail’s markings.”
ABC News has also reached out to the owners of the other two injured horses.
Nighttime shot of unfurled police tape next to flashing lights from a police car. (halbergman/Getty Images)
(MUSCATINE, Iowa) — Six people were killed in a shooting spree at multiple locations across an Iowa city in an apparent domestic dispute, according to police.
The suspected gunman died from a self‑inflicted gunshot wound as officers confronted him, police said.
The “series of homicides” occurred Monday at two residences and a business in Muscatine, police said.
“Today I simply do not have the words — this act of evil and what it has done to our community,” Muscatine Police Chief Anthony Kies said at a press briefing Monday.
Four of the victims were killed in one home, according to police. The shooting was reported around 12:12 p.m. local time Monday, according to the Muscatine Police Department. First responders found all four individuals dead at the scene.
The suspect — identified by police as Ryan Willis McFarland, 52, of Muscatine — left the home prior to police arriving, authorities said. Officers located him nearby on a trail along the Mississippi River.
“While talking to Ryan Willis McFarland, he took his own life,” Kies said. “Officers and EMS personnel rendered aid. However, he was pronounced deceased at the scene.”
Amid the investigation, detectives learned there were possibly additional victims and subsequently located two men dead from apparent gunshot wounds, authorities said. One was found at another home and the other at a nearby business, authorities said.
“Preliminary findings indicate the shootings stemmed from a domestic‑related dispute,” the Muscatine Police Department said in a press release. “All victims are believed to be family members of the deceased suspect.”
Police have not released the names or ages of the victims.
According to Muscatine Community Schools, the victims included two school district employees and two students.
“Our hearts are broken for the family members, friends, colleagues, classmates, and all those affected by this unimaginable loss,” Muscatine Community Schools Superintendent Clint Christopher said in a message to the school community on Monday. “We ask that you keep everyone impacted in your thoughts during this incredibly difficult time.”
The police chief said the suspect has a criminal record, though he did not elaborate. There is no active threat to the community, Kies said.
Aerial view of Coast of NJ (Michael Duva/Getty Images)
(WILDWOOD, N.J.) — The search is ongoing for a 14-year-old boy who went missing in the ocean at the New Jersey shore, officials said.
An officer in Wildwood was alerted to a swimmer in distress at about 1:26 p.m. Monday, local police said, and police, lifeguards and fire department personnel were sent to the scene.
The first responders saw several people in the surf and three swimmers were helped out of the water, according to police. One swimmer was taken to a hospital and listed in stable condition, authorities said.
Officials then learned that a 14-year-old boy was still missing, police noted.
More rescuers joined the search for him, according to police, and the Coast Guard, New Jersey State Police and other agencies were called in to help look by boat and helicopter.
“Conditions were very rough,” Wildwood Fire Chief Ernie Troiano III told ABC News, noting there were strong winds, strong currents and rough seas.
The teen has not yet been found. Search efforts are ongoing, officials said.
