The Seneca Hickory Stick Golf Course in Lewiston, New York. Photo from Facebook
A former gaming executive for the Seneca Nation of New York is in federal court today for a plea agreement hearing. Bergal Mitchell III, the former vice chairman of the Seneca Gaming Corporation, was indicted in February 2011 on charges that he stole from the tribe. He was involved in the purchase of a 250-acre site that was used to develop the Seneca Hickory Stick Golf Course. Seneca Gaming Corporation paid $2.1 million for the land. But the sellers only received $1.2 million and federal authorities indicted Mitchell as they tried to find out where the rest of the money went. Mitchell pleaded not guilty to the charges but the case has essentially been on hold since October 2013, when the last substantive briefs were filed. That changed when a plea agreement was scheduled for this morning. Timothy Toohey, an attorney, pleaded guilty in connection with the crime in January 2010. He was sentenced to 33 months in federal prison in November 2013. Get the Story:
Possible plea deal in Bergal Mitchell land fraud case upsets some Senecas (The Buffalo News 6/22)
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