Wampanoag Chairman Cedric Cromwell Indicted On Federal Bribery Charges Related To Proposed Casino

The chairman of the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe is facing federal bribery charges involving the tribe's plans to build a resort casino in Taunton.

55-year-old Cedric Cromwell was arrested without incident by the FBI and local police Friday morning at his home in Attleboro. The owner of an architecture firm the tribe hired to design the not-yet-built casino was also arrested.

Federal prosecutors allege that between 2014 and 2017, Cromwell accepted $54 thousand in bribes, an expensive home gym and a weekend in a suite at a Boston hotel in exchange for awarding a $4.9 million contract to an architectural firm owned by David DeQuattro of Rhode Island.

WBUR's Steve Brown and Jack Lepiarz spoke on All Things Considered about the allegations against Cromwell.