The owner of an architect and design company and the former chairman of the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe have been found guilty of bribery, extortion and other charges in relation to the tribe’s plans to build a casino resort, the U.S. Department of Justice reports.
The tribe's ex-chairman Cedric Cromwell, 55, of Attleboro, Mass., and David DeQuattro, 54, managing principal of RGB Architects in Providence, R.I., were convicted by a federal jury after a 10-day trial, the DOJ reported May 5. Cromwell was convicted of "two counts of accepting bribes as an agent of an Indian tribal government, three counts of extortion under color of official right and one count of conspiring to commit extortion," according to the report. DeQuattro, of Warwick, R.I., was found guilty of one count of paying a bribe to an agent of an Indian tribal government, the DOJ reports.
United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins said the guilty verdicts show that “No one is above the law," the DOJ reports.
"That rings true today, loudly and clearly,” Rollins said. “Mr. Cromwell and Mr. DeQuattro entered into a business arrangement that was fueled by bribery for their own selfish and unlawful gain. In doing so, Mr. Cromwell exploited his position and the trust placed in him by the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe. Today’s guilty verdict makes clear that the jury saw this case for what it is – a textbook example of public corruption.”
The DOJ reports that Cromwell received from DeQuattro a personal check for $10,000 in November 2015; $1,700 worth of exercise equipment in August 2016; and a three-night stay at the Seaport Boston hotel valued at $1,800, in exchange for an agreement to protect DeQuattro’s firm’s contract to serve as representative for the First Light Resort and Casino that the tribe was building in Taunton, Mass.
The men were acquitted of one count of conspiracy; DeQuattro was also found not guilty of one county of bribery and Cromwell was found not guilty of one count of extortion, according to the DOJ. The defendants face a total of up to 30 years in prison and $500,000 in fines for their convictions, the DOJ reports.
Cromwell also faces four more charges for filing false tax returns, the DOJ reports. The charges will be addressed at a later date, according to the DOJ. U.S. Senior District Court Judge Douglas P. Woodlock has scheduled sentencing for Sept. 9.
Joseph R. Bonavolonta, FBI Special Agent in Charge, Boston Division, said the verdict proved Cromwell abused his position, committed extortion and accepted bribes "to line his own pockets at the expense of Tribe members whose trust he grossly betrayed.”
“The quid pro quo scheme that he orchestrated with David DeQuattro was an affront to the Tribe that elected him to serve their best interests," Bonavolonta said in the report. "This is exactly why the FBI will not hesitate to investigate elected officials who use their positions to commit illegal acts. We are committed to protecting the integrity of government at all levels from the plunder of public corruption.”
