![\"cedriccromwell\"](\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/10\/cedriccromwell-scaled.jpg\")
\r\n<\/p>\r\nThe former chairman of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe<\/a> is speaking out about his criminal corruption case as he seeks to dismiss all of the charges against him. \r\n <\/p>\r\nCedric Cromwell<\/a> is being accused of stealing money from his tribe as part of an arrangement with a gaming developer. He pleaded not guilty to the charges, following his arrest and indictment<\/a> last November.\r\n <\/P>\r\n\u201cI\u2019m fighting with the federal government now, personally,\u201d Cromwell said on Monday on Clubhouse<\/a>, a new audio-based, social media app that has exploded in popularity<\/a> in recent weeks.\r\n <\/P>\r\n\u201cI\u2019m not afraid,\u201d Cromwell added.\r\n <\/p>\r\nFollowing news of the charges, which came a week after the presidential election, Cromwell was removed from his post on the tribal council, where he had served as chairman since 2009. He discussed his situation in a room on Clubhouse<\/a> that was open to the public.\r\n <\/p>\r\n\u201cI\u2019m off of tribal council right now,\u201d Cromwell told a group of listeners who had gathered to talk about solidarity between people of Native and Black descent.\r\n <\/P>\r\n <\/P>\r\nBut Cromwell indicated that he considers himself a leader among his people, whose reservation in Massachusetts was stripped of its trust status by the Donald Trump administration, just one of many transgressions against Indian Country<\/a> during the prior presidency. The issue is being litigated in federal court, in a proceeding separate from the criminal case against the former chairman. \r\n <\/p>\r\n\u201cIt’s a spiritual capacity,\u201d Cromwell said in describing his place within the tribe, whose ancestors assisted the first European settlers<\/a> to New England some 400 years ago, not long before their land was eventually taken by those new arrivals<\/a>.\r\n <\/P>\r\n\u201cI’m sitting in a different kind of capacity,\u201d Cromwell added.\r\n <\/p>\r\nAccording to his profile on Clubhouse, Cromwell joined the app on January 19. That same day, his attorneys asked a federal judge to dismiss five charges<\/a> against him.\r\n <\/P>\r\nThe defense team followed up last Thursday with another motion to dismiss all of the remaining charges — there are 10 total in the indictment. They said federal prosecutors have failed to make their case against him, arguing that any money Cromwell accepted from the tribe’s gaming partner were campaign contributions — not bribes or extortion payments made in exchange for helping out the developer.\r\n <\/P>\r\n\u201cThe indictment at issue here, on its face, fails to charge that Cromwell engaged in any ‘official act,’ or that Mr. Cromwell knew that any payments were made in exchange for ‘officials acts,’\u201d the second motion<\/a> reads. \r\n <\/P>\r\n\u201cThis fact alone warrants dismissal,\u201d the filing states.\r\n <\/p>\r\n095110371450<\/a>\r\n <\/p>\r\nGovernment attorneys are taking a different view. Although the indictment was filed during the prior administration, federal prosecutors in Massachusetts have continued to press the case against Cromwell and his co-defendant, David DeQuattro, a non-Indian developer who landed a lucrative contract with the tribe to build a casino on the reservation.\r\n <\/P>\r\n\u201cThe defendants argue that the indictment fails to allege a quid pro quo<\/em><\/a>,\u201d U.S. Attorney Andrew E. Lelling wrote of the alleged corruption scheme<\/a>. \u201cThey are wrong.\u201d\r\n <\/P>\r\n \u201cThe quid<\/em> was the stream of payments and in-kind benefits provided by DeQuattro, and the quo<\/em> was Cromwell\u2019s agreement to use his influence as chairman of the tribe and president of the gaming authority\u2019s board of directors to ensure that the board did not terminate the contract,\u201d wrote Lelling, who was nominated to his position by Trump.\r\n <\/p>\r\nDemocrat Joe Biden was inaugurated as the 46th president of the United States on January 20, a day after the first motion to dismiss was filed in the case. He has since asked Lelling and other U.S. Attorneys who were holdovers from the Trump era<\/a> to step down.\r\n <\/p>![\"cedriccromwellclubhouse\"](\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/10\/cedriccromwellclubhouse.png\")
\r\n