{"id":168335,"date":"2021-03-24T06:38:23","date_gmt":"2021-03-24T13:38:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?p=168335"},"modified":"2021-03-24T10:04:33","modified_gmt":"2021-03-24T17:04:33","slug":"cedric-cromwell-ex-mashpee-chair-charged-with-tax-evasion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/cedric-cromwell-ex-mashpee-chair-charged-with-tax-evasion\/","title":{"rendered":"Ex-Mashpee Wampanoag Chairman Cedric Cromwell Charged with Tax Evasion"},"content":{"rendered":"

Former Mashpee Wampanoag Chairman Cedric Cromwell has been charged by a federal grand jury with tax evasion. The new charges come two months after Cromwell was indicted for orchestrating a bribery scheme related to the tribe\u2019s troubled $1 billion First Light casino project in Taunton, Mass.<\/p>\n

\"Cedric
Cedric Cromwell in his office at Mashpee Wampanoag Government Center before he was ousted in November. Cromwell was recently charged with tax evasion. (Image: Merrily Cassidy)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

According to prosecutors, the 55-year-old failed to report $177,393 worth of bribes as income between 2014 and 2017. He is also accused of failing to declare consultancy work he completed for a carbon offsetting company.<\/p>\n

The Mashpee ousted Cromwell from power in November in the wake of the bribery indictments.<\/p>\n

He is accused of using his position as Mashpee chairman to enrich himself by \u201cextorting tens of thousands of dollars in bribes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Prosecutors also allege he engaged in a conspiracy to commit bribery with David DeQuattro<\/a>, the owner of the architecture firm that was chosen to design the stalled First Light project. DeQuattro has denied bribing Cromwell.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

If found guilty of accepting bribes, Cromwell faces up to ten years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. The tax charges carry up to three years in prison and a fine of up to $100,000. Cromwell has pleaded not guilty to the bribery charges.<\/p>\n

First Light Casino Snuffed Out<\/strong><\/h2>\n

In 2016, with financial backing from Malaysian casino giant Genting and a green light from the federal government, the tribe was ready to break ground on the First Light casino.<\/p>\n

But a lawsuit funded by rival casino developer Neil Bluhm argued the Obama-era US Interior Department had erred by taking the land into trust for the tribe.<\/p>\n

The court agreed, and so did the Trump administration. The decision was reversed and the Mashpee was stripped of its reservation and, with it, sovereignty, and its ability to build the casino.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Massachusetts lawmakers have since launched federal legislation in the hope that Congress can reinstate the tribe\u2019s lands.<\/p>\n

New Hope for First Light Casino<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The DOI\u2019s decision left the Mashpee in economic disarray and $500 million in debt to Genting. Meanwhile, the tribe was ridden with political infighting<\/a>\u00a0and rumors swirled alleging financial mismanagement.<\/p>\n

Over the last few years, a federal grand jury has subpoenaed financial records pertaining to the tribe and the tribal gaming authority. It has also subpoenaed the tribe\u2019s current and former treasurers in the course of an investigation that appears to be ongoing.<\/p>\n

With Cromwell out of the picture, there may be a new cause for hope for the First Light project and the tribe\u2019s goal of economic self-sufficiency.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Biden administration and a Democrat-controlled Congress are likely to look more favorably on legislation to restore Mashpee lands. Meanwhile, the appointment of the first Native American Interior Secretary, Deb Haaland, is unlikely to harm the tribe\u2019s plight.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Former Mashpee Wampanoag Chairman Cedric Cromwell has been charged by a federal grand jury with tax evasion. The new charges come two months after Cromwell was indicted for orchestrating a bribery scheme related to the tribe\u2019s troubled $1 billion First Light casino project in Taunton, Mass. According to prosecutors, the 55-year-old failed to report $177,393 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":168336,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18456],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nCedric Cromwell, Ex-Mashpee Chair, Charged with Tax Evasion<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Cedric Cromwell, formerly leader of the Mashpee Wampanoag of Massachusetts, has been charged by DOJ with filing false tax returns.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Cedric Cromwell, Ex-Mashpee Chair, Charged with Tax Evasion\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Cedric Cromwell, formerly leader of the Mashpee Wampanoag of Massachusetts, has been charged by DOJ with filing false tax returns.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/cedric-cromwell-ex-mashpee-chair-charged-with-tax-evasion\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Casino.org\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Casino.OrgNews\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-03-24T13:38:23+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-03-24T17:04:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/cromwell.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"675\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Philip Conneller\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@casinoorgphilc\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Casino_Org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Philip Conneller\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/cedric-cromwell-ex-mashpee-chair-charged-with-tax-evasion\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/cedric-cromwell-ex-mashpee-chair-charged-with-tax-evasion\/\",\"name\":\"Cedric Cromwell, Ex-Mashpee Chair, Charged with Tax Evasion\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/cedric-cromwell-ex-mashpee-chair-charged-with-tax-evasion\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/cedric-cromwell-ex-mashpee-chair-charged-with-tax-evasion\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/cromwell.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-03-24T13:38:23+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-03-24T17:04:33+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/58769b72851c8cf117fb58ca150ebf8b\"},\"description\":\"Cedric Cromwell, formerly leader of the Mashpee Wampanoag of Massachusetts, has been charged by DOJ with filing false tax returns.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/cedric-cromwell-ex-mashpee-chair-charged-with-tax-evasion\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/cedric-cromwell-ex-mashpee-chair-charged-with-tax-evasion\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/cedric-cromwell-ex-mashpee-chair-charged-with-tax-evasion\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/cromwell.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/cromwell.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":675,\"caption\":\"Cedric Cromwell in his office at Mashpee Wampanoag Government Center before he was ousted in November. 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