Mashpee Head Steps Down

The head of the Mashpee Wampanoag Indian Tribe is stepping down after admitting he lied about his military service during the Vietnam War. WBUR's Curt Nickisch reports.NICKISCH: Glenn Marshall claimed to be a veteran of the siege of Khe Sanh in Vietnam, and his advisor claimed Marshall was a recipient of the Purple Heart. He was neither, according to the Cape Cod Times, which also reported Marshall served jail time for rape.

Marshall is now saying in a statement that he regrets distorting his military record. He says he's handing over day-to-day responsibilities to tribe's vice-chair, while he deals with his - quote - "demons."

A lawyer familiar with Indian gaming says these revelations are unprecedented, and it's not clear whether the news will hurt the tribe's bid for a resort casino in Middleboro.

For WBUR, I'm Curt Nickisch.