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| - A US judge rejected Tuesday a bankruptcy attempt by the National Rifle Association, ruling that the gun lobby group filed the petition to dodge a corruption probe in New York. The verdict is a victory for the New York investigation, which seeks to dissolve the powerful conservative organization. "The Court finds that the NRA did not file the bankruptcy petition in good faith because this filing was not for a purpose intended or sanctioned by the bankruptcy code," Judge Harlin Hale wrote. The verdict deals a blow to the NRA, which for decades has been able to shape major political races by endorsing pro-gun candidates. "Although we are disappointed in some aspects of the decision, there is no change in the overall direction of our Association, its programs or its Second Amendment advocacy," the NRA said in a statement. The NRA announced in January that it was filing for bankruptcy protection from creditors and moving its headquarters from New York to Texas. The organization and one of its subsidiaries filed petitions for so-called Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in a Dallas court. The NRA said its decision to reincorporate its non-profit status in Texas would ensure that in the future it is "free from the toxic political environment in New York." New York state announced in August of last year that it was suing the NRA and its leader Wayne LaPierre for financial fraud and misconduct, aiming to dissolve the organization. State Attorney General Letitia James said LaPierre and three other top NRA officials had used the dues and donations of members for years as their "personal piggy bank." They spent tens of millions of dollars on themselves and cronies in violation of laws governing non-profit organizations, according to Letitia's office. James, a Democrat, denied she was acting on political motives. "The @NRA does not get to dictate if and where it will answer for its actions, and our case will continue in New York court," James tweeted following Tuesday's ruling. pdh/jh
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