Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Chukchansi Casino: Jeff Livingston Indictments Increased In Casino Thefts

We've told you about this case that was deadlocked in April.   The Picayune Rancheria, the most egregious of California Tribes that had terminated 50% of their tribe, cheating their people out of per capita and other benefits, don't like it when THEY get cheated.

Fresno BEE

A federal jury in April deadlocked on charges that a former Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino general manager used a corporate credit card to steal from the casino.

Now, the federal government has upped the stakes against Jeff Livingston.

A federal grand jury has handed up a new indictment against the 50-year-old Fresno resident that is much more detailed and includes nine counts. Six of the counts are on mail fraud. The remaining three are on theft by officers or employees of gaming establishments on Indian lands.

Livingston went to trial in April on a two-count indictment. Both counts -- which are also in the new indictment -- were on theft by officers or employees of gaming establishments on Indian lands.

In those counts, authorities alleged that in June and July 2007, Livingston used a Chukchansi corporate credit card for down payments on personal vehicles and also to pay for a Hawaiian vacation package in May 2007.

State investigators at the time said Livingston made a $20,000 down payment on a new Ford Mustang Shelby; a $5,000 down payment on a new Ford Fusion for the casino's former vice president of marketing; and a $7,000 PGA National Golf Championship package in Maui, Hawaii.

He then allegedly tried to conceal the down payments by making it appear as if they were part of a 10-car purchase he made for a casino giveaway.

After a five-day trial before U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. O'Neill, a jury deadlocked 11-1. O'Neill declared a mistrial and, during a later hearing, set a new trial for Sept. 27.

Instead, the grand jury handed up the new indictment.


The new charge of theft by officers or employees of gaming establishments on Indian lands involves Livingston's alleged use of a corporate credit card to buy autographed sports and music memorabilia for himself.

The mail fraud charges involve bills or invoices sent to Chukchansi for items Livingston allegedly bought, as well as credit-card bills with the purported illegal purchases sent to the casino.

Overall, the indictment alleges that Livingston -- a former deputy sheriff in Broward County, Fla., who was named the casino's general manager in 2005 -- defrauded Chukchansi of "at least $48,500." It alleges the thefts occurred between October 2006 and January 2008.

Livingston's attorney, Marc Days, could not be reached for comment. Before the initial trial, Days said the allegations against Livingston weren't true and that his client "did not act with intent to deceive or cheat Chukchansi Gold Resort Casino," according to court documents.

Livingston also could not be reached. The U.S. Attorney's Office declined to comment.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love to see justice comming. Macarro, are you sleeping well at night?

Anonymous said...

" The Picayune Rancheria, the most egregious of California Tribes that had terminated 50% of their tribe, cheating their people out of per capita and other benefits, don't like it when THEY get cheated."

There is a BIG difference here, one is someone stealing from the Tribe. The other is removing from the Tribe people you don't like, families you never got along with. Cementing there place of power, along with the added benefit of millions of extra dollars in your pocket

OPechanga said...

Removing people you don't like:
STEALING their Per Capitia
STEALING their benifits

Families You Never Got Along With:
STEALING their Voting Rights
STEALING their Heritage

Anonymous said...

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE LOOK WHERE YOU CANNOT SEE ,HEAR THE WIND ,WATCH THE TREE GROW FOR ALL PEOPLES

stand your ground said...

I can see why it took this Tribe a year and a half to figure out that thi guy was stealing from them, after all the tribal crooks where also very busy,disenrolling tribal members and stealing from them THEIR heritage and money.

Anonymous said...

The tribe has a vendetta against the ex-GM because they asked him to fire all the disenrolled members and he refused. They're trying to ruin his life like they have been doing to their own.

Anonymous said...

Livingston was found guilty on all counts today. There were many of us who lived through his time as CEO. He used threats, dishonesty, bribery in attempts to control the tribe, the employees and the other executives at Chukchansi. As a witness in this trial, it is my hope that this case will usher in a new era in Native American Gaming. One where the tribes are scrupulous in choosing ethical leadership to work side by side with them in their business entities. The executives who stepped forward to take a stand against Livingston and ultimately lost their jobs at Chukchansi are true models of putting the tribe above their own personal gain.

Anonymous said...

jeff was the fall guy,there are others to blame. i hope it comes out i pray that he tells all.you know who you are.your just as guilty of stealing from your tribe,elders,and most of all the children.you skum disenrolled your own elders.live with that at night.i hope it comes back to all of you in this life.god knows the truth but so do you.greed is at the top of your mind. not your people.you need to step down.you blam the white eyes but your eyes are blind.

Anonymous said...

You have all you facts TOTALLY screwed up. Also, you state tribal members are benefiting from disenrollment? HaHa. Millions of dollars??? Omg, where is the millions of dollars you claim remaining tribal members are getting? You best keep your mouth shut until the day you TRUELY know what your talking about.

Its very true that a small amount of knowledge in the hands of the wrong people is very dangerous. They feel compelled to fill in the unknown blanks with BS. If you can't speak the truth don't bore us with your lies. I'm sure you can find better things to do with your time. Take care.

Anonymous said...

They are all crooks up there! They say they overpaid me on a credit card transaction, I don’t think so, they wouldn’t show me the film either. Then they break my financial privacy by calling my home number and telling the details of my transaction - without my permission! This all happened in May and I finally after many attempts and requests just spoke to the GM today for a letter stating I don’t owe this money & he agreed, but I think they owe me for breaking the law! This has been a nightmare! Richard & Pete are the leading Idiots up there! I will not go back to that crooked place again!

Anonymous said...

Jeff your the man!!! Know for all the people that don't know him and for the real people that steals and for the people that are getting kick out of there own tribe your on tribe is stealing from y'all when I use to work that I couldn't move up becuze I wasn't indian and once Jeff had told me money isn't the only thing in this world it's your own people every single directors at the casino are crooks from securty to the lows job there how y'all like them apples keep the tribe together and get read of the bosses chukchansi ain't the same people nochansi won't win money there everything is crooked up chuck and nancy f bomb all the directors there crooks Jeff your the man I looked up to you when I too work there boss

used lincoln mkz said...

I sure hope the Ford dealer doesn't get caught in all this. There's no way they could've known the money was dirty.