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An indictment handed down by a federal grand jury Thursday accuses executives of one US casino of stealing at least $6 million.
The 69-count indictment accuses Paskenta Band of Nomlaki tribe’s longtime economic development director and former FBI Agent John Crosby and his mother Ines Crosby of spending millions in tribal funds on their homes and vacations to New Zealand and the Caribbean from January 2009 to May 2014. John Crosby, 53, allegedly looted $838,000 in tribal money to buy a home. His mother is accused of buying $150,000 worth of gold coins and precious metals.
Funds were stolen from the Rolling Hills Casino in Northern California.
Former tribal treasurer Leslie Lohse, 62, is charged with making payments for her personal credit cards with tribal funds and of lying to federal investigators that she received a $5 million line of credit from the tribe.
Tribal Chairman Andrew Alejandre said in a statement that the defendants “terrorized” tribal members and stole money from tribal elders, leaving them “destitute.”
“The tribe hails the decision by the grand jury to issue this indictment, which represents a significant step towards vindication and justice for the tribe,” Alejandre said.
Investigators say the casino officials were able to conceal their far-reaching scheme by hacking the casino’s computer database and destroying the tribe’s financial records.
- Jagajeet Chiba, Gambling911.com
