Ex-tribal chairman’s casino bribery trial set for April

THE FORMER CHAIRMAN of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe and the owner of a Providence architecture firm face criminal charges of bribery related to plans to build a resort casino in Taunton. Above is a rendering of the proposed project./ COURTESY FIRST LIGHT

BOSTON (AP) — A former chairman of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe will have his day in court to face bribery, extortion and other charges related to the tribe’s planned Taunton casino project.

Cedric Cromwell’s criminal trial opens April 19 in Boston federal court after being delayed for months by the coronavirus pandemic. He’ll be on trial with co-defendant David DeQuattro, the owner of an architecture firm in Providence.

Federal prosecutors say Cromwell used his position to extort tens of thousands of dollars in bribes and engaged in a conspiracy to commit bribery with DeQuattro.

They say DeQuattro provided Cromwell with payments and other benefits valued at nearly $60,000 in exchange for nearly $5 million in contracts. Prosecutors allege Cromwell then spent the payments on personal expenses.

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Cromwell’s lawyer, Tim Flaherty, said Monday his client denies the charges and looks forward to his trial, adding that Cromwell was a “transformational leader” who helped improve the future of the tribe, which traces its ancestry to the Native Americans whom the Pilgrims encountered centuries ago.

DeQuattro’s lawyer Martin Weinberg similarly denied the charges, saying his client simply donated to Cromwell’s political campaign. “They were not bribes,” he said.

The Cape Cod-based tribe’s casino plan has faced years of legal setbacks, but last month received a boost when President Joe Biden’s administration affirmed the tribe’s sovereign reservation.

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