The former chairman of the gaming commission of a tribe in Washington state, the Snoqualmie, William Papazian, is suing three casino executives and two tribal council members for their actions in kicking out two other commissioners and replacing the commission by putting themselves in charge.
The alleged purge occurred last November. Papazian, who was not himself ousted in the action, alleges “fraud,” “racketeering” and “money laundering,” in his federal lawsuit that he filed last week.
The tribe itself is not a defendant in the case, but has said it will defend the accused.
Federal law and the gaming compact between the tribe and state requires that the tribe have a gaming commission that is completely independent of the casino it oversees. Its purpose is to do background checks on employees, police the casino floor and make sure the rules are being followed.
Papazian alleges that the other commissioners were removed and he was pressured to resign so that members of the tribal council could operate the casino illegally.
The council has informed the Washington State Gambling Commission that it is taking temporary control of the commission. The National Indian Gaming Commission will not comment on whether it is investigating the affair.
The tribe issued a statement criticizing Papazian, “It is disappointing to know that our former employee, Mr. Papazian, has chosen to file a baseless civil complaint. Mr. Papazian’s allegations are completely false and without merit. The Snoqualmie Tribe will vigorously defend this case and support the named defendants. This complaint will not disrupt the workings of Tribal Government or Casino operations. We will continue to work hard to help our people.”
Tribal Chairman Carolyn Lubenau told a reporter for KING 5 that the tribe is in the process of choosing a new commission and that until that is done the tribal police chief would perform its functions.
Lubenau said the problems arose from the executive director and manager of the commission, who, she said, threw tantrums and acted unprofessionally. The tribal council removed them after an investigation, she said.
“It was very clear, if we wanted to have our gaming commission functioning in the way we want to go, we needed to terminate those two positions,” she said.
