The tribal business committee of the Oklahoma-based Quapaw Nation has disqualified former chairman John L. Berrey from being considered for vice chairman in 2021. In a vote, they called Berrey “unsuitable for candidacy to the Quapaw Nation Business Committee.”
Berrey, who was chairman for two decades, was voted out last year and now threatens to sue. He told the Joplin Globe, “I think it clearly shows that the Quapaw Nation Business Committee is terrified of me winning and has decided to continue to trash my rights.” He added, “I have not received any due process afforded to me by the U.S. Constitution and the Indian Civil Rights Act. I just hope and pray that I can get a fair shake in court.”
Along with several other tribal officers and casino executives, he faces multiple counts of conspiracy, theft and abuse of office. The tribe seeks $7 million in damages.
Berrey told the Globe: “The real story is not John Berrey. The story is the destruction of the assets and businesses of the Quapaw Nation and the wealth being detoured to non-Indian lawyers and the pain that’s being caused. It’s really hurting several families and people within the nation.”
The vote against Berrey resulted after tribal members filed a complaint with the election committee challenging his candidacy. The election committee upheld his candidacy, but the council overruled it.
The Quapaw Nation operates casinos in Arkansas and Oklahoma. The latter, the Downstream Casino Resort, is one of the largest casinos in the region.
