Choctaw Nation releases statement after guilty verdict

Friday, November 21, 2014

Chief Gary Batton meets with Choctaw Nation citizens at the Broken Bow Casino on November 20, 2014. Photo from Facebook

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Note: The Choctaw Nation has deleted the statement from its website. The link below now points to The Native American Times, which posted the statement in full this morning.

The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma will be developing new campaign reform rules in the wake of a criminal trial that saw two of the tribe's top leaders called into federal court.

Up until 2012, the tribe lacked clear policies regarding campaign donations and gifts. But after learning of a fraudulent deal connected to a casino expansion project, then-Chief Greg Pyle instituted a compliance committee to require disclosures.

The fraudulent deal has led to the convictions of seven people. Six people pleaded guilty last year and Jason Merida, the former head of construction for the tribe, was convicted on Thursday after a lengthy jury trial.

"The tribe’s auditing procedures uncovered the crime, and the tribe has strengthened even further its internal auditing procedures in addition to its customary regular outside audit," a statement issued this morning read. "The Choctaw Nation is also committed to strengthening the ethics policies dealing with gift-giving and is also working on campaign reform regarding donations and reporting guidelines."

Pyle accepted campaign donations from two of the companies that were involved in defrauding and cheating the tribe. He donated nearly $235,000 to charities and organizations in 2012, long before the criminal case was made public.

Then-Assistant Chief Gary Batton also accepted gifts from one of the companies. He donated $27,500, according to an email sent to federal prosecutors from Michael Burrage, a Choctaw citizen who is the former chief judge of the federal court in Muskogee, where the trial took place.

Batton was elevated to chief after Pyle retired in April. Both leaders testified earlier this week in the trial but neither have been charged with any crimes.

Relevant Documents:
Indictment: US v. Jason Brett Merida | Record of FBI Interview | Memorandum of Interview from Department of Treasury | Trial Brief by US Attorney's Office | Jason Merida Brief Accusing Batton and Pyle | US Motion Seeking to Prevent Jason Merida from Bringing up Batton and Pyle | Flintco Statement | Michael Burrage Email: Batton and Pyle Accepted Gifts