Cedric Cromwell, who was for many years the public face of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe of Massachusetts, last week became the second former chairman in a row to go on trial in a federal court on corruption charges.
Cromwell’s trial opened in the U.S. District Court in Boston. The trial had been delayed for many months by the pandemic. His co-defendant is David DeQuattro, the owner of an architecture firm.
Cromwell led the tribe in its efforts to build a $1 billion casino resort in Taunton in partnership with the Genting Group. That effort fell apart following a challenge in federal court by casino opponents but it could have new life now that the Bureau of Indian Affairs has reversed a ruling that threatened to take the tribe’s land out of trust.
The tribe called its proposed casino, First Light, referring to the tribe’s historical location on the edge of the Atlantic, where historians say they were the tribe that greeted the Pilgrims when they landed at Plymouth in 1620.
Cromwell and DeQuattro’s charges stem from that casino and from allegations that they conspired to extort thousands of dollars in bribes from contractors the tribe hired to help with the casino.
The prosecutors allege DeQuattro paid Cromwell almost $60,000 in exchange for $5 million in architectural contracts.
Cromwell’s attorney says Cromwell denies the charge. He calls him a “transformational leader,” who improved the tribe’s lot.
