Joseph Barnes, the former chief of police for the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Pleasant Point in Maine, pleaded guilty to stealing more than $33,000 from the tribe.

Barnes, 42, admitted that he took the money from the tribe's bank accounts between April 2007 and May 2008. He was using the money to gamble at tribal casinos in Connecticut and in Louisiana.

Barnes, a tribal member, worked as a tribal officer for more than 20 years, The Bangor Daily News reported. He resigned in May 2009 after being confronted about missing money in tribal accounts.

The Interior Department and the Maine Attorney General investigated the incident. Barnes was charged in state court since the state exercises criminal and civil jurisdiction over the reservation.

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Former police chief pleads guilty to thefts used for gambling (The Bangor Daily News 4/7)