Business Deals

Early notes on Mashpee Wampanoag casino mentioned Abramoff

Friday, September 3, 2010

The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe of Massachusetts has been through many ups and downs in its quest for a casino and The Falmouth Enterprise reminds everyone that jailed lobbyist Jack Abramoff played a role in the saga.

The tribe's former chairman, Glenn Marshall, hired Abramoff's lobbying firm to press for federal recognition. Abramoff agreed to work for free and the tribe began appearing at Congressional hearings, making campaign donations and ramping up its presence in Washington, DC.

The scandal broke amid the effort and Abramoff ended up pleading guilty to defrauding his tribal clients in January 2006. The Mashpees were never implicated but a former manager in the town of Middleboro mentioned Abramoff and two of his associates in notes obtained by the Enterprise.

The notes were written in March 2007, months after Abramoff reported to federal prison for his crimes. A few months later, in August 2007, the town entered into an agreement with the tribe to host a casino.

The deal began to unravel after Marshall became embroiled in his own scandal and pleaded guilty to crimes that were connected to his dealings with Abramoff. Then the U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision in Carcieri v. Salazar, which placed the tribe's land-into-trust application in doubt.

The tribe finally killed the agreement for good when it found a new partner to finance the casino and a new location in another city for it. But officials in Middleboro are threatening to sue and have reportedly entered into a dispute resolution process with the tribe.

Get the Story:
In Reams Of Town Documents, A Look At The Demise Of The Tribe's Middleborough Casino (The Falmouth Enterprise 9/3)