BOSTON — The longtime chairman of a Massachusetts tribe and an architecture firm owner have been charged in a bribery scheme involving the tribe's plans to build a resort casino, federal prosecutors said Friday.
Cedric Cromwell is accused of using his position as chairman of the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe to extort tens of thousands of dollars in bribes from David DeQuattro, a 54-year-old Warwick, Rhode Island, resident who owns an architecture-and-design company.
Both pleaded not guilty to bribery charges during a videoconference Friday. Cromwell, a 55-year-old Attleboro resident, also pleaded not guilty to extortion charges. A Boston federal court judge released them on $25,000 in unsecured bond until their next court date.
Between 2014 and 2017, prosecutors said DeQuattro provided Cromwell with payments and other benefits valued at nearly $60,000 in exchange for nearly $5 million in construction contracts with the tribe.
They said Cromwell spent all of the money on personal expenses, including payments to his mistress. DeQuattro also provided Cromwell a home gym system and paid for a weekend stay at a Boston hotel for Cromwell's birthday, according to prosecutors.
"Many American Indians face a host of difficult financial and social issues," U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Andrew Lelling, whose office is prosecuting the case, said in a statement. "They require — and deserve — real leadership. But it appears that Cromwell's priority was not to serve his people, but to line his own pockets."
Cromwell's lawyer Timothy Flaherty said in statement that his client denies the allegations.
"He is a man of principle, a man of faith, and he is a transformational leader," Flaherty said.
