Former Paskenta Tribal Leaders Found Guilty

Hat tip to the commenter who pointed out this article.

Paskenta tribal leader: Guilty pleas are 'vindication' for Tribe after millions stolen

Excerpt:

The defendants are the former Tribal Economic Development Director, John A. Crosby, 56, of Redding; the former Tribal Administrator Ines S. Crosby, 76, of Orland; and the former Tribal Treasurer Leslie A. Lohse, 64, of Glenn.

The trio pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court, to charges of conspiracy to embezzle or steal from a tribal organization, as well as tax fraud and tax evasion offenses.

“The defendants used the Tribe’s accounts as their personal piggy banks,” said Kareem Carter, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation. “For at least five years the defendants took more than $4.9 million of the Tribe’s money and intentionally failed to declare it as income to the IRS. This resulted in a tax loss of over $1.6 million.”

Read the full article at the link above

Paskenta Affirms New Leadership

sys-con.com Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians Announces Results of Election for Tribal Council Mandated by Settlement Agreement Between Tribal Factions

Election ends leadership dispute after all Tribal members agreed to recognize results

BY PR NEWSWIRE

CORNING, Calif., Sept. 13, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Following a record election turnout, with over 92 percent of all adult Tribal members participating, the Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians announced today the results of its Tribal Council election.

The members of the Tribe overwhelmingly elected four members of the Tribal Council which include: Latisha Miller – Vice-Chairperson, Andrew Alejandre – Secretary, Ambrosia Rico – Treasurer, and Natasha Magana – Member-at-large. The Chairman of the Tribe, Andrew Freeman, who is recognized by both groups who participated in the election, holds a term that ends in September 2016. The election ends the leadership of Leslie Lohse and her family's control over the Rolling Hills Casino and other tribal assets. The certified results of the election were: 138 votes for the winning slate, and 61 votes for the slate led by Lohse.

"I'm so pleased that the Nomlaki People had such strong voter turnout and exercised true democracy by electing its Tribal leadership," said Chairman Andrew Freeman, who was supported by both groups running for Tribal Council.  "This is a new era of Tribal leadership that promises financial integrity in its governance and financial transparency to all Tribal members to ensure all can share in the benefits of the various Tribal Enterprises."

Read Full Press Release Here-->sys-con.com Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians Announces Results of Election for Tribal Council Mandated by Settlement Agreement Between Tribal Factions

Other Articles:

chicoer.com Paskenta tribe votes to keep new leaders

sacbee.com Embattled Northern California tribe elects four members to tribal council

***WARNING*** 

Chairman Robert Smith, Chairman of the Pala Band of Mission Indians, Pala Band of Luiseno Indians, Pala Band of Luiseno Mission Indians of the Pala Reservation, is monitoring your comments.  He is going to track your IP address and "take action" against any tribal member posting comments he does not like.

Paskenta

Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians audit alleges millions in mismanagement

Excerpt:

The audit, conducted by WilmerHale, a Washington, D.C. law firm, found that former council leaders "have fallen far short of their legal and ethical obligations to the tribe" by incurring expenses that include $17 million in private jet travel, $450,000 for tickets to the World Series, college basketball's Final Four and other sporting events, the Bee reported.

"Although the senior tribal administrators claimed that most of their spending was for reasonable business purposes, our inquiry suggests that serious questions exist about whether substantial amounts of tribal funds were actually spent for the senior tribal administrators' personal benefit," the Bee quotes from the audit report.

Read Full Article Here-->Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians audit alleges millions in mismanagement

***WARNING*** 

Chairman Robert Smith, Chairman of the Pala Band of Mission Indians, Pala Band of Luiseno Indians, Pala Band of Luiseno Mission Indians of the Pala Reservation, is monitoring your comments.  He is going to track your IP address and "take action" against any tribal member posting comments he does not like.

Paskenta Elections To Settle Dispute

Article Excerpts:

http://www.modbee.com Warring factions in Corning casino tribe agree to election to settle dispute

BY STEPHEN MAGAGNINI

After weeks of armed standoffs, cyber attacks, allegations of multimillion-dollar theft and legal battles over who controls the tribe’s $100 million-a-year casino, warring factions of the Paskenta band of Nomlaki Indians in Tehama County have agreed to a binding general election to settle their dispute.

A federal judge in Sacramento signed off Monday on the landmark agreement, which came after a marathon three-day mediation that included 12 consecutive hours of negotiations at one stretch, said Andy Freeman, who is recognized as tribal chair by both factions. “The mediation went well. It gave us the opportunity to talk to each other and see both sides,” Freeman said. “The bottom line is the whole tribe needs to talk.”

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The dispute centered on allegations by Freeman and other council members that Tribal Economic Development Director John Crosby, a former FBI agent, misappropriated $1.4 million from tribal accounts to pay for his house, swimming pool, basketball court and remodeling work, along with several cars and $209,000 worth of gold. Tribal Treasurer Leslie Lohse, one of the ousted council members, was accused of embezzling money and misusing the tribe’s jet to attend her son Kyle’s professional baseball games.

Freeman produced canceled checks to support his allegations of wrongdoing. Crosby and Lohse, in turn, supplied employment contracts indicating they were each granted $5 million lines of credit “to either be paid forgiven or extended” after 2020 if they negotiated a new gambling compact with the state. Both said they’ve acted in the tribe’s best interests.

Read Full Article Here -->http://www.modbee.com Warring factions in Corning casino tribe agree to election to settle dispute 

Leslie Lohse is Chair of the California Tribal Business Alliance (CTBA).  Robert Smith is CTBA's Treasurer.  Pala is one of the Three Tribes that make up the California Tribal Business Alliance along with Paskenta and Viejas.


***WARNING***

Chairman Robert Smith, Chairman of the Pala Band of Mission Indians, Pala Band of Luiseno Indians, Pala Band of Luiseno Mission Indians of the Pala Reservation, is monitoring your comments.  He is going to track your IP address and "take action" against any tribal member posting comments he does not like.

California Continues With Its Push to Keep Guns Out of Paskenta Dispute

redbluffdailynews.com State seeks to keep guns away from Rolling Hills Casino

RED BLUFF >> The State of California on Monday filed a request in federal court for a preliminary injunction against the Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians that essentially maintains the status quo of the temporary restraining order previously issued by a federal judge that has kept armed security forces away from Rolling Hills Casino in Corning.
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Excerpt:

Ousted members led by tribal Vice Chairman David Swearinger, treasurer Leslie Lohse, secretary Geraldine Freeman and member-at-large Allen Swearinger have previously said that shutting down the casino would bring a speedy resolution to the tribal dispute.

Members of the tribe led by Chairman Andrew Freeman, Vice Chairwoman Latisha Miller, treasurer Ambrosia Rico, secretary Andrew Alejandre and member-at-large Natasha Magana argue that shutting down the casino would put its employees out of work and "devastate the local economy," according to the state's preliminary injunction request filed Monday.

The preliminary injunction request seeks to keep the casino operating as it currently does, and keep firearms and armed personnel away from the tribe's properties.

Read Full Article Here --> redbluffdailynews.com State seeks to keep guns away from Rolling Hills Casino

Leslie Lohse is Chair of the California Tribal Business Alliance (CTBA).  Robert Smith is CTBA's Treasurer.  Pala is one of the Three Tribes that make up the California Tribal Business Alliance along with Paskenta and Viejas.

***WARNING***

Chairman Robert Smith, Chairman of the Pala Band of Mission Indians, Pala Band of Luiseno Indians, Pala Band of Luiseno Mission Indians of the Pala Reservation, is monitoring your comments.  He is going to track your IP address and "take action" against any tribal member posting comments he does not like.

California Sues Paskenta

Lots of news breaking relating to Paskenta.

Here are the headlines:

appeal-democrat.com State files suit against tribal factions

Chicoer.com - State sues Paskenta Nomlaki, seeking retaining orders; cites threat to health and safety

krcrtv.com Sides react to state lawsuit against Paskenta tribe

krcrtv.com The cost to keeping the peace at Rolling Hills Casino

krcrtv.com Federal judge issues restraining order in tribal dispute

courthousenews.com Tense, Armed Standoff at Indian Casino

redbluffdailynews.com Kiley Willard: Observations on tribal split

In Depth Article:

indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com Epic Paskenta Dispute Continues Despite BIA Cease and Desist Letter

***WARNING***

Chairman Robert Smith, Chairman of the Pala Band of Mission Indians, Pala Band of Luiseno Indians, Pala Band of Luiseno Mission Indians of the Pala Reservation, is monitoring your comments.  He is going to track your IP address and "take action" against any tribal member posting comments he does not like.

Paskenta

There's been much going on at Paskenta.  If you have been reading the news then like me you have probably had a hard time trying to figure out exactly what is going on.  Dueling press releases have also clouded the issues.  As things stand right now it appears the BIA is recognizing the ousted Executive Committee members while the current Committee headed by Andy Freeman seems to have the support of the tribe.

Here are some articles that go into detail:

Press Release - Paskenta Nomlaki Indians Try to Resolve Tribal Dispute Peacefully

Excerpt:

The members of the Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians emphatically demonstrated their support of their newly elected Tribal government this week.

On Wednesday, about 100 Tribal Members gathered at the entrance to the Tribe’s Rolling Hills Casino to show that an overwhelming majority of the Tribe supports recent General Council actions on membership issues and the replacement of four members of the former Tribal Council. They were also there to rebuff a threatened effort by the ousted Tribal Council members to take over the Casino. 

Read More Here - Press Release - Paskenta Nomlaki Indians Try to Resolve Tribal Dispute Peacefully


SacBee - Northern California tribe splits into armed camps over casino profits

Excerpt:

On May 2, Freeman issued a statement saying the new Tribal Council “has discovered substantial hard evidence of massive embezzlement of funds from the tribe by members of the suspended family and former Tribal Treasurer Leslie Lohse, Tribal Administrator Ines Crosby and Tribal Economic Development Director John Crosby.”

Freeman produced canceled checks to support his allegation that Crosby misappropriated $1.4 million from tribal accounts to pay for his house, swimming pool, basketball court and remodeling work.

Read More Here - SacBee - Northern California tribe splits into armed camps over casino profits

The connection between Paskenta and Pala is the California Tribal Business Alliance.  Paskenta's ousted treasurer Leslie Lohse is Chair of the California Tribal Business Alliance.  Robert Smith is treasurer of the California Tribal Business Alliance.

http://www.caltba.org/who/boardofdirectors

***WARNING***

Chairman Robert Smith, Chairman of the Pala Band of Mission Indians, Pala Band of Luiseno Indians, Pala Band of Luiseno Mission Indians of the Pala Reservation, is monitoring your comments.  He is going to track your IP address and "take action" against any tribal member posting comments he does not like.

Paskenta - After 11 Years, Justice

I was sent this article below.  It is a print version of an article that appeared in the Sacramento Valley Mirror.  There does not seem to be an online version.  It is an embedded pdf file that can be downloaded, printed out, or just enlarged by clicking on the magnifying glass near the bottom of the post.  You can also  toggle to full screen view by clicking the square on the right hand side at the bottom of this post which will help be able to read it.

Paskenta - After 11 Years Justice

Also in the news:

Leslie Lohse was one of the Council Members that was removed from office.  She was Treasurer.  She is also Chair of the California Tribal Business Alliance (CTBA) (http://www.caltba.org) of which Pala is a member.  Robert Smith is the treasurer for CTBA.

Paskenta tribe shuns members, investigates missing funds

Excerpts:

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"Also during the meeting, Leslie Lohse, Tribal Council treasurer, and member of the suspended family, was dismissed off the Tribal Council by the General Council, Rico stated."

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Rico claims that a more recent letter from the gaming commission said it is classifying the dispute as an internal tribal affair, and at this time will leave the problem for the tribe to rectify.
“We are still in compliance with all required federal and state regulations,” she stated.

Read Full Article Here - Paskenta tribe shuns members, investigates missing funds