The Chitimacha tribe in Louisiana was rocked last week when the Gaming Enforcement Section troopers with the Louisiana State Police Bureau of Investigations arrested the general manager and chief financial officer of Cypress Bayou Casino. Anthony Patrone, the CEO, and Monty Spivey, the CFO, were charged with felony theft, computer fraud and obstruction of justice.
In a month-long investigation, authorizes charged that Patrone and Spivey conspired to manipulate the casino’s database to pay off a former inactive employee by contending that employee was active and qualified for an annual bonus of $5,700. The pair then allegedly allowed the database to be scrubbed of that information.
The casino issued a statement about the incident.
“We are confident this entire situation will be dealt with expeditiously and we will be able to put this past us and move forward,” the statement read.
The tribe said an interim CEO has been appointed and a search has been launched for permanent replacements for the two positions.
“The Chitimacha Tribal Council and Louisiana State Police reiterate their absolute dedication and commitment to maintaining the integrity of all tribal gaming operations and applying the highest standards of employee conduct regardless of position or title,” according to the statement.
