Casino foes attack Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe

Wednesday, December 17, 2008  

An anti-gaming group in Massachusetts is seeking an investigation into the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe after its former chairman pleaded guilty.

Casino Free Mass says attorney general Martha Coakley should look into the tribe's federal recognition and its finances. "Clearly, the former chairman lied and made fraudulent claims on behalf of the tribe, and we want to make sure everything was above board," Rick Young, the group's president, told The Cape Cod Times of the guilty plea by Glen Marshall.

Marshall admitted to charges of violating campaign finance laws, embezzling funds, filing false tax returns and fraudulently receiving Social Security benefits. He used money from the tribe's financial backer for campaign contributions and for his personal use, prosecutors said.

Court documents do not suggest Marshall or the tribe's former lobbyist, Jack Abramoff, influenced the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The tribe's federal recognition was finalized over a year ago.

Get the Story:
Casino foes want probe of tribe finances (The Brockton Enterprise 12/17)
Fraud case casts shadow over tribe (The Cape Cod Times 12/17)