White Earth Nation awarded $18.5M in casino lawsuit
A tribal judge has awarded the White Earth Nation an $18.5 million judgment stemming from lawsuit against a Pennsylvania businessman and his company, Gaming World International.
The tribe hired Angelo Medure's company in the 1990s to build and manage the Shooting Star Casino. The court found that Medure collected illegal payments through a conspiracy involving then tribal chairman Darrell "Chip" Wadena. Wadena was later convicted of federal bid rigging charges.
"They took away from the Shooting Star Casino $10.15 million in profit distributions," said Attorney Zenas Baer, who represented White Earth in court. "But yet, Gaming World International had no employee on site operating the casino. It was a rip-off in the purest sense of the term."
Baer said that it was under Angelo Medure's watchful eye that Mr. Wadena was allowed to rig bids and do other things that were contrary to the interests of the White Earth Nation.
Medure has appealed the tribal court decision.
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