10.07.07Casino deal remains clouded in secrecy
By STEPHANIE VOSK and GEORGE BRENNAN
Cape Cod Times
October 07, 2007 6:00 AM
Editor's Note: This is the last of a two-part series. (Part 1)
MASHPEE — South African casino moguls Sol Kerzner and Len Wolman resuscitated the Mohegan tribe's bid for federal recognition, and more than a decade later they continue to reap millions of dollars.
The Mashpee Wampanoag tribe can only wonder how much of their sovereignty has been signed away to help Kerzner and Wolman continue their dominance of New England's gambling industry. Their ties to the 1,500-member Mashpee tribe pre-date their public relationship, perhaps by years.
The tribe's deal with the men ignited the renewed debate to legalize casinos in Massachusetts. With Gov. Deval Patrick's recent thumbs up on full-scale gaming, they could ultimately change the face of the Bay State.
In February, when the tribe received the final word it would receive federal recognition, the ink was already dry on a deal signed two months prior by tribal leaders and Kerzner, 72, and Wolman, 52.
Then tribal Chairman Glenn Marshall, 57, hid the fact that a casino deal was in place — both from the tribe at large and the public.
In a meeting with the Times editorial board in February, he hinted that the tribe's most public investor, Detroit casino developer Herb Strather, 56, would soon play a smaller role in the tribe's quest to build a casino. But Marshall hedged when he was asked about whether he would entertain signing a deal with other investors.
"Let me tell you, if (Strather) wanted out, he could sell and make money right now," Marshall told the editorial board. "But it would have to be somebody the tribe liked. Somebody who was successful in the arena. Somebody with style and grace."
In a letter to the tribal council in 2004, Strather already referenced other unnamed investors and warned that they might pull out if Marshall was voted out as chairman in the 2005 council elections.
But with Marshall's victory that year, the investors held tight — and silent — as the Bureau of Indian Affairs reviewed the tribe's petition for federal recognition. (Complete Story)
http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071007/NEWS/710070340
No comments:
Post a Comment