BOSTON-Cedric Cromwell, chairman of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, has been indicted, along with the owner of an architecture firm, on charges stemming from a bribery scheme related to plans to build a casino and resort in Taunton.
Cromwell and firm owner David DeQuattro of Warwick, Rhode Island, were indicted on two counts of “accepting or paying bribes” as or to an agent of a tribal government, along with one count of “conspiring to commit bribery.” Additionally, Cromwell was indicted on four counts of “extortion under color of official right” and an another count of “conspiring to commit extortion.”
Andrew Lelling, United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts, stated that according to the indictment, Cromwell received a “stream of payments and in-kind benefits” that valued nearly $60,000. In exchange, it is alleged that the architecture firm was paid almost $5 million under its contract with the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe’s Gaming Authority. Cromwell is the President of the Gaming Authority.
Cromwell and DeQuattro are slated to make their first appearances as defendants through a video-conference Friday afternoon.
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