Barwest has spent $19 million advancing Los Coyotes' Barstow casino; now pulls funding for land-into-trust process

Michael J. Malik, Sr., manager for Detroit-based casino syndicators LCB BarWest, LLC, sent a letter to Los Coyotes tribal spokeswoman Katherine Siva Saubel responding to her September 28, 2007 letter terminating the partnership between the tribe and BarWest.

In the letter, Malik is quite surprised the tribal elder has notified him of the termination. Malik sites among other things:

• BarWest has spent $19 million to date trying to get the Los Coyotes casino resort plans approved.
• A solid relationship between BarWest and UNITE-HERE's international labor leaders.
• BarWest's desire to retain new lobbyists and a new PR firm in Sacramento.
• Confussion over who represents the Los Coyotes tribal leadership today.
• Termination of BarWest's financial support for the EIS being preapred by the Bureau of Indian Affairs as part of the land-into-trust process.
• An unwillingness to sell land in Barstow currently owned by BarWest to the Los Coyotes Indians. An application was made to the BIA in March 2006 to transfer that land into trust for the tribe. That process is now on hold.

Malik's partner in LCB BarWest, LLC is Mrs. Marian Ilitch. Her husband Mike Ilitch owns the Detroit Tigers and they also own the Detroit Red Wings, Little Caesars Pizza and MotorCity Casino.

LCB Barwest response to termination by Los Coyotes Band of Indians