A federal grand jury has subpoenaed the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Gaming Authority, the casino development arm of the tribe that is based in Massachusetts, and which has been trying unsuccessfully to build a $1 billion casino in Taunton.
MassLive reported that the grand jury seeks documents, records and communications from the LLC related to contracts and agreements between the Authority and its casino architect Robinson Green Beretta Corp. The newspaper obtained a copy of the federal subpoena. It includes the request for the “fully executed Consulting Services Agreement” dated May 7, 2014, and all modifications and amendments related to it until the end of 2017. This is the third time in four months the grand jury has sought information from the tribe, including the tribe’s finances, and the 2013 and 2017 elections of tribal chairman Cedric Cromwell.
One of the subpoenas prompted an unsuccessful attempt by some members of the tribal council to oust Cromwell from his position.
Reportedly the Authority is more than $500 million in debt to the tribe’s casino development partner, the Genting Group, which Genting has written off as a loss.
Some tribal members have been highly critical of the tribal council’s transparency, or lack of it, regarding casino-related spending and finances. One member, David Pocknett, asserts that the tribal membership hasn’t voted on an operating budget in two years—which violates the tribe’s constitution. Pocknett told MassLive, “The tribe has never, ever had a vote on a gaming authority budget.”
Several months ago the Department of the Interior informed the tribe that its 321 acre reservation would be taken out of trust. This is part of a lawsuit brought by Taunton residents who oppose a casino.
A federal judge ruled in June that the department’s decision was “arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion, and contrary to law,” and ordered it to reconsider it.
An attorney for the tribe, Benjamin Wish, said the tribe would cooperate with any requests for information from the grand jury.
