Michael Thomas is being held at the FMC Devens in Massachusetts. Photo from Bureau of Prisons
The 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday upheld the conviction of Michael Thomas, a former chairman of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation of Connecticut. In July 2013, a federal jury found Thomas guilty of one count of theft from an Indian tribal organization and two counts of theft concerning an Indian tribal government receiving federal funds. Prosecutors said he used a tribal credit card to make $100,000 in unauthorized purchases. Thomas said the jury didn't get to hear the whole story. His attorney argued that the trial judge failed to allow the admission of evidence that showed he typically reimbursed the tribe for personal spending on the credit card. In a summary order, the 2nd Circuit rejected the arguments. The court said the trial judge did not commit any errors in excluding the evidence. "Because we agree with the District Court that the evidence at issue was not relevant to any fact of consequence, and that the purported probative value of that evidence was substantially outweighed by the danger of confusing and misleading the jury, we decline to reverse the District Court’s ruling that the evidence was inadmissible," the order stated. Thomas is serving an 18-month sentence in a federal facility in Massachusetts, according to the Bureau of Prisons. He is due to be released in May 2015. Get the Story:
US Court Upholds Conviction Of Ex-Pequot Chairman (AP 10/31) 2nd Circuit Decision:
US v. Thomas (October 31, 2014)
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