The Rolling Hills Casino. Photo from Facebook
The National Indian Gaming Commission sent investigators to the casino owned by the Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians in California, according to a faction of tribal leaders. The NIGC previously sent the tribe a letter on April 21 that questioned who was in charge of the Rolling Hills Casino. The agency said it was initiating an investigation to determine whether to issue a notice of violation (NOV) that could lead to the closure of the facility. "It's become very clear that laws are being broken and money is being mishandled at the Rolling Hills Casino, leaving the tribe in jeopardy of being robbed of millions of dollars, and potentially being forced to shut down their casino," Clay Parker, who was hired as police chief by one group of tribal leaders, said in a press release. The faction that hired Parker said it has already issued a closure notice to the casino. But the facility continues to operate under Chairman Andy Freeman, who claims his rivals have been removed from their seats on the council. Both sides have made various allegations each each other, with Freeman claiming that a group of tribal members has stolen more than $10 million. He singled out disputed Treasurer Leslie Lohse, who is well known in Indian Country for her national leadership positions, and said she used the tribe's private jet to travel to baseball games -- her son, Kyle Lohse, plays for the Milwaukee Brewers. "The findings in this investigation are extremely disturbing," Freeman said in a press release. "It appears that Lohse was using the jet like it was her personal transportation, while tribal members picked up the bill." Get the Story:
Tribe's police chief says federal, state laws violated at Corning casino (The Red Bluff Daily News 5/28) Related Stories:
Paskenta Band leaders acknowledge efforts to disrupt casino (5/22)
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