Anthony Patrone, former general manager of the Cypress Bayou Casino in Charenton, Louisiana, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor in connection with an investigation into a bonus paid to an inactive employee. Rob Vines, first assistant district attorney for the 16th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, said Patrone entered a plea under a legal mechanism that allows him to plead guilty because he believes a jury would convict him, but without admitting that he did anything wrong.
The criminal prosecutions of Patrone’s two co-defendants, O’Neil Darden, chairman of the Chitimacha Tribe of Louisiana, and Montie Spivey, the former chief financial officer of the Cypress Bayou Casino, are still pending, Vines said.
Patrone’s legal counsel said the settlement was a way to move forward.
“Despite erroneous and even false statements printed or aired by certain news agencies and attributed to the Louisiana State Police, Anthony Patrone has resolved outstanding charges filed by the State Police in St. Mary Parish. These charges have been under further investigation for seven months, and they have been resolved by a plea to a misdemeanor, a $250 fine, one day’s probation, and without any admission of guilt to the original charges.”
Earlier this year, State Police said the Chitimacha Tribe reported senior management might have stolen from the casino. Investigators accused Patrone of manipulating the casino’s personnel database to show an inactive employee was active and qualified for a $5,700 annual bonus. The payment was made to the former employee’s bank account. Patrone was accused of giving the directive to remove the former employee’s name from the database and conceal the payment. Spivey facilitated the payment and reactivated the former employee in the database to justify the bonus. The former employee was Darden, who was accused of felony theft. According to court documents, Patrone told investigators he gave Darden the bonus because Darden “hounded him so much” about it.
Under tribal law, the Tribal Council must approve any bonus and the distribution of funds. Also, an employee must be active to be eligible for the bonus, court documents indicate.
A tribal statement said Patrone has been on suspension from his position since February 17, 2016 and will not return to the casino. Darden will remain as tribal chairman, with reduced responsibilities, while the investigation continues. “The Tribe regrets this unfortunate situation. It has cooperated fully with law enforcement in the investigation and the prosecution of this matter. The tribe is confident that this isolated incident has had no impact on the operation of the casino, which has been turned over to the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority.
Patrone has denied any crime, and blamed tribal politics for the charges.
“In 30 years of high level positions with top gaming companies, my time at Cypress Bayou Casino was among my best professional experiences,” he said in a statement. “The successes we gained here were extraordinary and will remain with the Chitimacha Tribe for many years. I regret taking the chairman and the elected head of the tribal government at his word, and I was shocked to learn that officials in the tribal government thought there might be an issue with the payment before the payment was made but did not notify me or anyone else at the casino. However, in spite of this single incident, I remain proud of the many accomplishments we made and I thank the entire Chitimacha Tribal Council for recruiting me to the reservation and having the confidence to allow me to proceed with such ambitious plans.”
