CORRUPT PALA COUNCIL FIRING BACK at Those who EXPOSED THEM.

IT'S ON! CORRUPT PALA COUNCIL ROARS BACK WITH A VENGEANCE!
Now they have called an EMERGENCY MEETING:

PALA RESERVATION in TURMOIL. Robert Smith's Spokesperson DOUG ELMETS Hasn't Deserted The SINKING SHIP

Well the Union Tribune has finally covered the activities at the PALA RESERVATION. 

An apparent power struggle has erupted at the Pala Indian Reservation after a group of tribal members claimed to have ousted the tribal council and installed a new executive panel.

PROMISES UNKEPT: Tribal Gaming FUND for POOR TRIBES in CA is TAPPED OUT -

When we expanded gaming, we were promised that the increased funds would help balance our budget.  That hasn't happened and most tribes did not put in the maximum amount of slots, either.    They never planned to.  It was a ruse to get more money into the general fund and leave poor tribes out in the cold.

Remember this video?  WE WERE WARNED!

Very Heavy Police Presence at the Pala Reservation Today in Anticipation of VIOLENCE UPDATE

UPDATE:   Robert Smith has apparently LOCKED himself into the building and won't come out without a federal order.    Four people have been fired but not clear whether he has the authority to do so.

VERY HEAVY POLICE PRESENCE at PALA Reservation, here's a video, not my choice of terms:

Post by Marcus Torres.

Pechanga Chairman's Cousin ISSUES MORON ALERT for Former SF MAYOR WIllie Brown

Pechanga Chairman Mark Macarro's cousin Victor Rocha who runs a website Pechanga . Net issues a MORON ALERT for former California Speaker WILLIE BROWN after Brown withdraws support for online gaming:

MORON ALERT:  Former California Lawmaker Flip-Flops On Internet Poker, Joins Adelson's Side TAGS: CaliforniaIndian GamingCalifornia Indian GamingLaw & PoliticsOnline Gaming Online poker players, especially those in California, have a new enemy.


 Willie Brown, the former mayor of San Francisco (1996-2004) and previously a California legislator, said last week that he is joining billionaire Las Vegas casino owner Sheldon Adelson in the latter’s quest to stop online gaming in the United States, the Los Angeles Times reported. Brown’s commitment to the Coalition to Stop Internet Gambling is perplexing because of Brown’s previous work to support online poker legalization in the Golden State. Adelson Brown said he is the new national co-chair and California chair of Adelson’s coalition. “There are a multitude of reasons to oppose the expansion of Internet gambling,"

Brown said in an open letter about his flip-flop. “I was once on the wrong side of this issue—speaking for and supporting Internet poker—but I have since learned about some of the tactics used by online gambling companies to lure young people.” There are currently two bills in the California legislature that aim to legalize online poker—and online poker only—within the state’s borders. Both are up for consideration. California lawmakers held a hearing last month on the issue, which featured lots of expert testimony, but no action on either bill was taken. This year is an election year in California, so it’s unlikely either will pass before 2015.

PALA TRIBE Holds Emergency Meeting to SUSPEND EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE and Chairman Robert Smith UPDATE

Major happenings at the PALA BAND OF LUISENO INDIANS.   An emergency meeting was held on Saturday as detailed by the website PALA WATCH which has posts of the meeting notice, as well as an attempt by the corrupt chairman Robert Smith to ward off the meeting.

From what we gather, it was a good meeting and all items were passed, which would mean that Smith is suspended by vote of the general council.

Here is Robert Smith when asked WHY he didn't show evidence on the family they disenrolled:

 Apparently, MR. SOVEREIGNTY himself is going to the BIA!

 CHECK OUT PALAWATCH at the link above...

UPDATE:  Soon to be former Chairman Smith is being served today, removing him from office.

Paskenta Gaming Commission REVOKES Gaming License of Former Commission Member: $2 MILLION Misappropriated

The Paskenta Gaming Commission announced today the decision to revoke former Gaming Commission member Juan "Jon" Pata's gaming license based on recently discovered violations.

Jon Pata is a member of a family that was recently suspended from membership of the Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians, the owner of Rolling Hills Casino, after recently revealed genealogical evidence established that the Pata family has no ties to the Tribe and they do not qualify for membership under the Tribe's Constitution.

Members of the Pata family had obtained leadership positions within the Paskenta Tribe, including Tribal Council positions and control of the tribal Gaming Commission, which regulates gaming at the casino.

After the Pata family members were removed from their positions, the Tribe's initial investigations uncovered misappropriations of tribal funds totaling over $2 million. The investigations also revealed that on October 10, 2013, Ines Crosby, a Pata family member and former Tribal Administrator, cashed a check at the casino cage for nearly $200,000 and left with grocery bags filled with cash.

Prior to that transaction, Jon Pata, Ines Crosby's brother and a Gaming Commission member, instructed the casino's surveillance staff not to watch the transaction and not to tell anyone about it.

Brandin Paya, current Tribal Gaming Commission Chairman, stated, "Rolling Hills Casino has always been a model operation for regulators and law enforcement agencies. They frequently requested to use Rolling Hills Casino as a training facility to demonstrate proper management and regulation. We are saddened by these revelations and intend to conduct a thorough investigation of past practices involving the Pata family and former Gaming Commission members. More importantly, we intend to continue to focus our efforts on working with the National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC), the federal regulatory body, and the California Department of Justice Indian Gaming Unit to ensure that we remain a model facility."

Tribal Casino Crimewatch: Nooksack Tribal Member Sentenced in $140,000 embezzlement Scheme

A Nooksack Indian Tribe member will serve 15 months in prison and three years of supervised release for embezzling more than $146,000 from the Suquamish Tribe in Kitsap County. Renee Pearl Peleti, 46, from Bainbridge Island, was an administrative assistant in the tribe's Indian Child Welfare Department for more than five years.

During that time, she used fraudulent checks, food vouchers and gift cards to pay for her groceries and bills, according to the U.S. Attorney's office. The Suquamish Tribe became aware in April 2013 that benefit checks for clients of the welfare department had been altered and cashed. Peleti had taken more than 260 tribal checks, totaling more than $90,000, to cash and use for bills. She also used tribal checks to pay her own Puget Sound Energy bills.
Peleti pleaded guilty in February 2014 and was sentenced Friday, May 9, in U.S. District Court in Seattle.

Tribal leaders who spoke at the sentencing hearing said Peleti's embezzlement meant that some children didn't have that money for food, clothing, sports equipment or Christmas presents.  OP:   Isn't that a SHAME??   But, then, isn't that EXACTLY WHATS GOING to happen to the children of those who those SAME TRIBAL leaders plan to DISENROLL?

Rolling Hills Tribal Casino Dispute: Operations CEASED? Time to Just STAY AWAY??

A group that believes it is the duly elected governing body of the tribe that owns Rolling Hills Casino claimed Friday that casino operations have "temporarily ceased." A different group, which appears to be in control of casino operations, rejected the claim, saying it's business as usual at the casino.

Armed security guards clad in black uniforms and stationed on the grounds of Rolling Hills Casino also serve as a backdrop to the ongoing dispute over the leadership of the Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians.

The tribe owns and operates the casino, and at its annual General Council meeting April 12 that comprises all adult members of the tribe, a disagreement has emerged over the actions taken by the five-member Tribal Council. which governs the tribe and at the time included Chairman Andrew Freeman, Vice Chairman David Swearinger, treasurer Leslie Lohse, secretary Geraldine Freeman and member-at-large Allen Swearinger.

Andrew Freeman announced in a press release April 30 that members of two families in the tribe were suspended by a quorum of the General Council, and he alleged some of those members took part in the theft and misappropriation of more than $1 million of tribal funds. He added an investigation is ongoing.

Attorney Richard Verri, who said Friday that he represents the tribe, said members were suspended because they may not meet certain criteria to be members of the tribe. He also alleged that David Swearinger, Geraldine Freeman and Lohse vacated their positions on the Tribal Council after leaving the meeting while it was in session. New Tribal Council members, Verri said, were appointed by the General Council. They include Leticia Miller, vice chairperson, Ambrosia Rico, treasurer and Andrew Alejandre as secretary. Allen Swearinger is said to still be a member-at-large.

READ MORE:  

ROLLING HILLS CASINO DISPUTE

Man Who Stole from THIEVES at Pechanga, Convicted of Stealing from ANOTHER Casino at PAUMA

A former insurance broker for Pechanga Resort & Casino near Temecula who was convicted last year of bilking the tribe has now pleaded guilty to stealing from a San Diego County Indian casino, authorities said.

James William Riley, 50, was sentenced Wednesday, May 7, in San Diego County to 16 months in prison and ordered to pay $172,000 in restitution, according to a new release from the California Department of Insurance.

Riley was charged in San Diego County in January with multiple felonies, including theft and embezzlement involving the workers’ compensation insurance policy for Casino Pauma. He pleaded guilty in April to one count of grand theft.

Investigators said Riley failed in 2007 to return $172,000 in excess premiums resulting from fluctuations in the number of employees, which was his duty as a licensed agent. The loss was discovered in 2010 and prompted a criminal investigation involving multiple agencies and the Pauma-Yuima Band of Luiseño Indians, the release said.

“When Riley chose to follow his greed and rip off his clients, he violated his fiduciary responsibilities and their trust,” Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones said in a written statement, adding that workers’ compensation fraud costs California consumers billions of dollars every year.

Riley and Ryan Jay Robinson, Pechanga Casino’s former chief financial officer, were sentenced last year in Riverside County to two years, 8 months in prison for commercial bribery in connection with an insurance overcharging scam from 2006 to 2007 that cost the tribe millions. They had been indicted by a grand jury in 2010.

PECHANGA BAND OF LUISENO Indians has stolen well over $400 MILLION from tribal members via disenrollment

Cherokee Freedmen Get Their Day in Court, Treaty Rights Violated By Cherokee Nation

The Cherokee Freedmen, represented by attorney Jon Velie finally got their day in court.  Arguments were heard in the Federal Courthouse, with members of the Freedmen from across the country representing their people.

Velie claimed it was a great day to stand up to racism.  While the Redskins nickname issue get the press, THIS IS RACISM AT ITS WORST.

this case has taken 20 years to get to this point. Let us hope and pray for JUSTICE.

UPDATE:  Cherokee Nation press release


Cherokee Nation Attorney General Todd Hembree issued the following statement regarding oral arguments in the freedmen lawsuit, case 1-13-CV-01313. Attorney General Hembree's statement is as follows: "After 11 long years of litigation, the Cherokee Nation is looking forward to having a judge decide the longstanding issue of what rights, if any, the freedmen descendants are granted under the Treaty of 1866.

The Cherokee Nation believes strongly in treaty rights and believes the correct interpretation of the treaty would allow the Cherokee people to determine who is a Cherokee citizen.

The Cherokee people have been a champion for human rights, having experienced cruelty firsthand during our forced removal from our original homelands in the Southeast along the Trail of Tears to Oklahoma. OP: Uh, yeah you jackhole...dragging your SLAVES WITH YOU...AS Property!!! For the Cherokee people, this issue has never been about race. As a sovereign nation, it's always been about Cherokees determining who our citizens ought to be.

Tex McDonald APPOINTED Chairman of Chukchansi. Not Voted in?

Charles "Tex" McDonald has been appointed chairman of the tribal council of the Picayune Rancheria of the Chukchansi Indians in Coarsegold, the tribe says Monday.

Monica Davis Johnson has been named to the post of vice chairwoman.

Mr. McDonald, elected in December 2013, had been serving as the tribe's acting chairman in place of former council leader Nancy Ayala, who had been suspended.

The appointments return the on-rancheria council to seven members. The on-rancheria council oversees the day-to-day operations of the Chukchansi Gold resort and casino, pays the tribe's bills and provides services to all the tribe's more than 900 members, including elder services, scholarships and worker assistance programs.

FBI INVESTIGATING PALA Corruption by Robert Smith and Theresa Nieto

The FBI is looking into corruption at PALA! FINALLY....

 Our friends at PALA WATCH have received some letters from the husband of a woman who worked for the Pala Band of Luiseno Indians and was terminated from her job while on FMLA.   She and her husband detailed a letter last month and now a second one is up at Pala Watch, we have linked to it here it here:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/220994560/David-Cross-2nd-Letter-to-Pala-Apr-29-2014
Check out palawatch.com for MORE.

Rolling Hills Tribal Casino Had $1 MILLION Embezzled by Tribal Members: CASINO CRIMEWATCH

The Nomlaki Indian Tribe, also owners of Rolling Hills Casino, have suspended tribal members under investigation for embezzling more than $1 million.

Chairman Andy Freeman of the Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians, owner of Rolling Hills Casino in Corning said the theft and misappropriation of tribal funds were carried out by certain members of the Henthorne/Pata family.

The Henthorne/Pata family was suspended by a quorum of the Tribe’s General Council on April 12.

Chairman Freeman and other administrators met with the Tehama County Sheriff’s Office, Tehama County District Attorney, Corning Police Department and other officials to review the findings.

The suspended members held positions in the Tribe’s government and business operations, which gave them access to tribal accounts.

The investigation is now in the Tehama County Sheriff’s Office’s hands.

“Now that law enforcement is involved,” Freeman said, “we are going to allow the legal process to work while we focus on the health of the Paskenta Bank of Nomlaki Indians and its businesse