The Ponca Tribe "lied" on its land-into-trust application, Nebraska attorney general Jon Bruning said on Thursday.

Bruning said the tribe promised to build a health care facility on a 5-acre site in Iowa. But the tribe changed its mind and is now considering a casino.

“The Ponca Tribe of Nebraska lied about how the land would be used,” Bruning told The Lincoln Journal Star. “The tribe just flat out lied about their intentions.”

On December 31, 2007, the National Indian Gaming Commission noted that the tribe promised not to use the site in Carter Lake, Iowa, for a casino. But the ruling said the land could be used for gaming because the Poncas are a restored tribe.

Bruning filed suit in federal court in Iowa to challenge the NIGC's decision. He says Nebraska has standing in Iowa because Carter Lake is completely surrounded by Nebraska due to the shifting of the Missouri River.

But Ponca Chairman Larry Wright Jr. doesn't think Bruning can win the case. Wright told The Omaha World-Herald that Bruning should have consulted the tribe before filing suit.

Get the Story:
Bruning blasts tribe, gaming officials (The Lincoln Journal Star 2/1)
Ponca Tribe criticizes Bruning lawsuit, tactics (The Omaha World-Herald 2/1)