Artist's rendering of the proposed Menominee Nation off-reservation casino. Image from Casino Kenosha
The Seminole Tribe of Florida is recognized worldwide as a leader in the gaming and entertainment industry but not everyone in Wisconsin is laying out the welcome mat. The Seminoles are backing the Menominee Nation off-reservation casino in Kenosha. The two tribes are planning a $800 million facility to be branded with the Seminole-owned Hard Rock name. The Forest County Potawatomi Tribe, whose off-reservation Potawatomi Hotel & Casino is about 40 miles from Kenosha, opposes the project. A spokesperson said the Seminoles have "leadership" issues. "We're talking about FBI investigations, leaders who have been indicted on charges of conspiracy, embezzlement, money laundering," Potawatomi spokesperson George Ermert told Gannett Wisconsin. Ermert brought up Jim Billie, the Seminoles Tribe's current chairman. Billie was accused of mismanagement in a civil suit that was settled out of court but he was never charged with a crime of the nature suggested by the Potawatomi spokesperson. Another Seminole leader, David Cypress, pleaded guilty in 2012 to filing a false tax return. The case did not involve conspiracy, embezzlement or money laundering either. The Seminoles, however, have paid $12 million in fines to the National Indian Gaming Commission, the largest of any tribe. The last publicly-available enforcement action against the tribe dates to October 2010, nearly four years ago. Get the Story:
Seminole Tribe's Hard Rock Casting a Big Shadow in Wisconsin (Sunshine State News 9/23) Bureau of Indian Affairs Documents:
Press Release | Fact Sheet: Menominee Nation Decision | Section 20 Determination: Menominee Nation Off-Reservation Casino Related Stories:
Forest County Potawatomi Tribe won't share casino revenue (9/22)
Opinion: Menominee Nation off-reservation casino a win for state (09/10)
Ho-Chunk Nation remains opposed to rival casinos within territory (09/04)
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