Cedric Cromwell, former chairman of the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe of Massachusetts, will go to trial April 19 on charges of bribery and extortion. The charges are all related to a casino the tribe wants to build in Taunton.
The trial, which will be in a federal court in Boston, has been delayed for months by the Covid-19 pandemic. Joining Cromwell as co-defendant is David DeQuattro, who owns an architecture firm in Rhode Island.
The former chairman is accused of using his position to extort bribes and that he conspired with DeQuattro to commit bribery. Prosecutors allege the architect paid Cromwell with money and other benefits valued at almost $60,000 in exchange for almost $5 million in contracts for the casino.
Both Cromwell and DeQuattro deny the charges, with the latter saying that the payments were donations to Cromwell’s political campaign.
